{"id":2567573,"date":"2026-02-07T23:57:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T04:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gabbard-denies-hiding-whistleblower-complaint-a-blatant-lie\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T00:00:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T05:00:24","slug":"gabbard-denies-hiding-whistleblower-complaint-a-blatant-lie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gabbard-denies-hiding-whistleblower-complaint-a-blatant-lie\/","title":{"rendered":"Gabbard denies hiding whistleblower complaint: &#8216;A blatant lie&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgabbard-denies-hiding-whistleblower-complaint-a-blatant-lie%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2567573&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>the Washington Examiner report states that Tulsi Gabbard, referred to in the piece as the Director of National Intelligence, denies withholding a whistleblower complaint from Congress and calls such accusations \u201clies and baseless.\u201d She defends her handling, saying she was never in posession of the complaint and only reviewed it recently to advise on secure sharing, noting the complaint dates to May 2025 and contains highly sensitive intelligence related to Iran. The article notes that inspectors general have deemed the complaint not credible, though Gabbard says the material still needed to be kept secure in a safe. Senator Mark Warner criticized Gabbard for delaying notification to Congress and accused her of stonewalling for political gain, while Republican Sen. Tom Cotton defended her actions, saying the material was handled properly and that the complaint appeared not credible. The piece also references related coverage, including a separate 2020 examination involving Puerto Rico voting machines, and includes a list of recommended stories.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Gabbard denies hiding whistleblower complaint: &lsquo;A blatant lie&rsquo;<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2497701\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Director of National Intelligence <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tulsi-gabbard\">Tulsi Gabbard<\/a> has denied withholding a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/whistleblowers\">whistleblower<\/a> complaint from Congress, calling such claims from some &ldquo;Gang of Eight&rdquo; lawmakers &ldquo;lies and baseless accusations.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Gabbard issued a lengthy <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/DNIGabbard\/status\/2020227805976678574\">defense<\/a> of her actions in dealing with the complaint, which dates back to May 2025 but was largely unknown until this week due to its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sen-menendez-china-is-abusing-taiwan\/\" title=\".... Menendez: China is abusing Taiwan\">highly sensitive nature<\/a>. While details are thin, it accuses Gabbard of wrongdoing and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4445222\/complaint-gabbard-classified-info-political-purposes\/\">alleges<\/a> she <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >withheld classified information &#038;ldquo<\/a>;for political purposes.&rdquo; Recent <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/07\/us\/politics\/whistle-blower-gabbard-trump.html\">reporting<\/a> has also revealed it was partly about&nbsp;an intelligence intercept of a call between two foreign nationals discussing someone close to President Donald Trump, a discussion that was about Iran.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/immigration\/4449437\/dhs-activist-judges-grant-illegal-immigrants-freedom\/\">DHS unloads on &#8216;activist&#8217; judges granting illegal immigrants freedom in habeas cases<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4449619\/doj-allowing-congress-view-unredacted-epstein-files\/\">DOJ allowing Congress to view unredacted Epstein files<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4449267\/appeals-court-allows-trump-ban-dei-federal-government\/\">Appeals court allows Trump to ban DEI in federal government<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Senator Mark Warner and his friends in the Propaganda Media have repeatedly lied to the American people that I or the ODNI &ldquo;hid&rdquo; a whistleblower complaint in a safe for eight months. This is a blatant lie,&rdquo; she posted on X on Saturday.<\/p>\n<p>Gabbard said she has never been &ldquo;in possession&rdquo; of the complaint and &ldquo;obviously&rdquo; could not hide it in a safe, where it has been both before and after being hand-delivered to the Gang of Eight for solely a &ldquo;read and return&rdquo; review of its contents earlier this week. Gabbard also said the first time she saw it was just two weeks ago, when she reviewed it &ldquo;to provide guidance on how it should be securely shared with Congress.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>She reiterated that neither the Biden-era inspector general of her office at the time the complaint was filed, Tamara Johnson, nor the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rick-scott-calls-on-jerome-powell-to-resign-over-gross-fed-mismanagement\/\" title=\"Rick Scott demands Jerome Powell&#039;s resignation due to Fed&#039;s &#039;gross&#039; mismanagement.\">current inspector general<\/a>, Christopher Fox, have deemed the complaint to be credible. That conclusion from the two oversight heads notwithstanding, Gabbard maintained it still must be held in the safe because &ldquo;the complainant chose to include highly sensitive information within the complaint itself rather than referencing the sensitive reporting and leaving the complaint at a lower level of classification.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Security standards for complaints that include such sensitive intelligence required the Inspector General to keep the complaint and the intelligence referenced secured in a safe from the time the complaint was made, until now,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>Gabbard&rsquo;s first public defense in dealing with the whistleblower complaint comes as she has been hammered by some &ldquo;Gang of Eight&rdquo; lawmakers over the monthslong delay in notifying Congress about the complaint.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), who is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has led that charge, accusing her of stonewalling Congress.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This was, again, a complete avoidance of and I think it was an effort to try to bury this whistleblower complaint,&rdquo; Warner <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/trump-administration\/tulsi-gabbard-responds-senators-criticism-handling-whistleblower-compl-rcna257952\">told<\/a> NBC News on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>He has pressed Gabbard on a &ldquo;21 day&rdquo; requirement to give the complaint to Congress, which Gabbard said is only necessary if it is deemed &ldquo;urgent&rdquo; and credible.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;That was NOT the case here,&rdquo; she added.<\/p>\n<p>Gabbard also said Warner was only after &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thank-to-tx-rep-judge-overruling-trump-set-to-get-disgraceful-status-less-than-1-percent-of-federal-judges-have-ever-had\/\" title=\"Thank to TX Rep, Judge Overruling ... Set to Get Disgraceful Status Less Than 1 Percent of Federal Judges Have Ever Had\">political gain&#038;rdquo<\/a>; and that his claim of stonewalling &ldquo;undermines our national security and is a disservice to the American people and the Intelligence Community.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4447024\/tulsi-gabbard-office-seizes-voting-machines-puerto-rico-2020-election-investigation\/\">GABBARD SEIZES VOTING MACHINES FROM PUERTO RICO AS PART OF 2020 INVESTIGATION<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The top Republican on that committee, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), has defended Gabbard&rsquo;s handling of the complaint, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenTomCotton\/status\/2019389292343357681\">saying<\/a> her office &ldquo;took the necessary steps to ensure the material has [sic] handled and transmitted appropriately in accordance with law.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Cotton also deemed the complaint not credible, speculating that it &ldquo;seemed like an effort by the president&rsquo;s critics to undermine him.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gabbard says she didn\u2019t hide whistleblower complaint<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3359,"featured_media":2567574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/tulsi-gabbard-whistleblower-complaint-blatant-lie.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[8458,13420,51130,5894,14057],"class_list":["post-2567573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-denial","tag-fact-check","tag-gabbard-2","tag-politics","tag-whistleblower"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/tulsi-gabbard-whistleblower-complaint-blatant-lie.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3359"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2567573"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2567577,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2567573\/revisions\/2567577"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2567574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2567573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2567573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2567573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}