U.S. intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard said on Tuesday that she has disbanded a task force she created last year to eliminate alleged politicization within intelligence agencies, a move critics claimed had been used by the Trump administration to pursue partisan objectives.
Gabbard said she had reassigned members of the Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG) elsewhere in her agency. Her comments came after two sources said the decision to wrap up the DIG followed alleged missteps.
An Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) spokesperson denied any errors, saying the DIG was intended to be temporary, a view Gabbard echoed.
The DIG has been scrutinized by members of Congress, many of whom saw its structure as secretive. Congress passed legislation in December requiring Gabbard to provide a classified report last month that included details on DIG leadership, staffing levels and hiring practices. Her office missed the deadline but said it would still provide the information.
Election Concerns and Political Fallout
The move comes as Democrats question Gabbard’s presence at a January 28 FBI raid that seized ballot boxes and other materials from a Georgia county’s election archive. The White House defended her role, while Democratic leaders argued she exceeded her agency’s authority and warned of potential interference in future elections.
Supporters credit the DIG with declassifying files on President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and advancing President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Critics, however, described its efforts as partisan.
Allegations and Denials
The ODNI cited declassified documents that Gabbard said showed former President Barack Obama directed intelligence officials to assess that Russia sought to aid Trump in 2016. That claim was contradicted by a 2025 CIA review, a 2018 bipartisan Senate report and Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Obama denied wrongdoing.
Sources also cited missteps, including linking a federal security worker to pipe bombs planted before the January 6, 2021 riot and allegedly revealing the name of an undercover CIA officer. The ODNI denied both claims.
(With inputs from Reuters)
