BROADCAST-QUALITY VIDEO IS AVAILABLE HERE

WASHINGTON – Today, Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, delivered a speech on the floor of the U.S. Senate warning that the United States faces a deepening threat to our security as the Trump administration continues a sweeping political purge of the FBI, dismantles America’s cyber defenses, and hollow outs the institutions responsible for protecting the homeland. Today’s remarks follow a September address in which Warner outlined concerns with the growing politicization of intelligence under the Trump administration.

In his speech today – “A Deepening Threat: How Politicizing Intelligence Endangers Our National Security” – Warner detailed how thousands of FBI agents and senior leaders have been forced out for political reasons, including the heads of the Bureau’s counterterrorism, intelligence, cyber, and critical incident response units. He warned that these purges, combined with the unprecedented reassignment of 25 to 45 percent of FBI agents working counterterrorism, cyber, espionage, and child exploitation cases to President Trump’s immigration roundups, have sharply reduced the Bureau’s ability to prevent attacks, disrupt foreign plots, and respond to cyber intrusions.

“Firing agents who investigate terrorists, foreign spies, cyber hackers, and child predators does not make America safer, especially when the president’s own intelligence officials warn, publicly and repeatedly, of the many threats facing our nation,” said Warner today.

Warner also highlighted the administration’s dismantling of core cyber infrastructure beyond the FBI. More than one-third of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has been fired and pushed out, even as ransomware and destructive cyberattacks hit state and local governments in at least 44 states. The administration has removed the leadership of the National Security Agency and Defense Intelligence Agency, left U.S. Cyber Command without a permanent commander, and disbanded the Foreign Influence Task Force responsible for safeguarding U.S. elections from foreign interference.

Quoting the intelligence community’s own assessments, Warner underscored the intensifying threat environment: Beijing expanding AI-enabled malign influence operations; Moscow increasing the sophistication and volume of its disinformation and cyber activities; and Iran enhancing its capacity for aggressive cyberattacks on U.S. networks and infrastructure.

Warner warned that the administration’s political interference, including the gutting of the FBI’s operational capabilities and the erosion of federal cyber defenses, is leaving Americans at growing risk.

“The next attack will not wait for Congress to act,” Warner said. “And when it comes, the consequences will not be measured in polling numbers or election results. They will be measured in lives lost, infrastructure damaged, and national security compromised.”

Warner reiterated that he will return to the Senate floor in the coming weeks to continue highlighting instances of political interference across the federal government’s national security apparatus and to press for urgent action to restore integrity and protect the American people.

Senator Warner’s remarks as prepared for delivery appear below:

M. President, two months ago, I came to this floor to warn about the growing politicization of our intelligence community.

I laid out, in detail, how this administration, led by Director of National Intelligence Gabbard, was dismantling the independence, integrity, and credibility of the very institutions we rely on to keep Americans safe.

I had hoped that by sounding that alarm early, the administration might reconsider its actions… or at the very least, slow its march toward turning our intelligence agencies into instruments of political loyalty.

But instead, the situation has grown only more dangerous.

And I want to say at the outset: this will not be the last time I come to this floor on this issue.

I intend to continue making these speeches… for as long as it takes… because the stakes for our national security are too high to let this pattern go unchallenged.

Since my remarks in September, we’ve seen not restraint, but an escalation… an escalation of political retaliation, of the hollowing out of expertise, and of the outright manipulation of intelligence. We are watching, in real time, an administration strip away the guardrails that have protected this country for generations.

I have had the distinct privilege of representing the people of Virginia in this body since 2009. And in nearly 17 years, one of the most consequential responsibilities I’ve held has been serving on the Senate Intelligence Committee… first as a junior member and then, for the last eight years, as Chairman or Vice Chairman.

I always tell our new members that getting a seat on the Committee is a double-edged sword. 

On the one hand, you get access to things that no other Senators see… you see capabilities that would astonish even the most seasoned spy-novel reader among us.

But the other edge is harder: you also see the full scope of the threats facing the United States… daily reports about terrorist plots, cyber-attacks, hostile foreign services targeting our citizens and institutions.

And once you’ve seen that picture clearly, you don’t sleep quite so easily at night. 

It’s precisely because those threats are real, persistent, and in many cases, growing, that I’m so deeply concerned about the Trump administration’s reckless actions – actions that have left our country more vulnerable than at any point in recent memory.

Just last month, FBI Director Kash Patel testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee that the FBI has experienced a 300percent increase in terrorist cases opened this year alone… on top of a 30percent increase in foreign espionage cases.

At the Senate Intelligence Committee’s Annual Threat Assessment hearing, Director Gabbard reiterated that foreign terrorists remain intent on striking the United States and our citizens… that a range of cyber and intelligence actors continue to target our critical infrastructure… and that state adversaries possess weapons capable of hitting U.S. territory and disabling vital U.S. systems. Indeed, in an interview earlier this month, Director Gabbard repeated that “terrorism continues to pose the greatest – both short- and long-term – threat to the American people.”

Whatever one thinks of the individuals delivering them, the assessments themselves leave no ambiguity about the dangers confronting the United States.

And yet, in spite of those clear and present threats, the Trump administration has chosen a course of action that weakens our defenses and leaves Americans more vulnerable to the very risks its own officials have publicly described.

Since Inauguration Day, the president and his hand-picked FBI Director, Kash Patel, have forced out thousands of experienced agents for reasons that appear more political than professional, like refusing to lie about who won the 2020 election, or for prosecuting the violent criminals who attacked Capitol Police officers on January 6, or simply for being friendly with someone critical of the president.

Alarming court filings suggest that even Director Patel has privately acknowledged that many of these actions may be illegal… yet justified them by saying that his position depended on carrying them out.

The list of those purged reads like a Who’s Who of the Bureau’s most decorated public servants:

Those agents forced out include the former Acting Director of the FBI, Brian Driscoll, who rose through the FBI ranks in some of its most elite units, including the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team… where in 2015 he supported U.S. Special Operations in rescuing an American humanitarian aid worker, Kayla Mueller, from ISIS. Special Agent Driscoll would later rise to be the Head of FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group, the FBI’s elite team in charge of dealing with terrorists, child abductors, bomb threats, and hostage situations. For his service, Agent Driscoll was awarded the FBI Medal of Valor and the Shield of Bravery… only to have Director Patel fire him because he would not purge agents the president deemed politically disloyal.

They include Bobby Wells, who joined the FBI shortly after 9/11 and spent decades in counterterrorism. He eventually became the Head of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, leading efforts against Al Qa’ida, ISIS, and other global terrorist networks. Notably, he helped bring to justice the mastermind of the Kabul International Airport bombing that killed 13 American service members – an accomplishment publicly touted by the president – only to have the president fire him shortly thereafter.

They include Michael Nordwall, the Head of the FBI’s Criminal Cyber Response Branch, who led efforts to combat ransomware attacks, online fraud, and sophisticated cyber intrusions targeting critical U.S. infrastructure.

They include Ryan Young, the Head of FBI’s Intelligence Division… overseeing the collection and analysis of intelligence on domestic and foreign threats, ensuring that field offices had the situational awareness to prevent attacks.

Other senior agents forced out include dozens of heads of FBI field offices nationwide, from Washington, D.C., to Miami, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Seattle. 

Among them was Special Agent Jacqueline Maguire, the lead investigator into the five hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77, whose expertise was critical to understanding 9/11 and preventing further attacks.

And most recently, they include Steven Palmer, a 27-year veteran of the FBI and the third head of the FBI’s elite Critical Incident Response Group to be fired in just three months. As head of the Critical Incident Response Group, he led teams tasked with responding to terrorist attacks, mass shootings, hostage crises, and high-risk national security incidents… work that requires split-second decision-making under extreme pressure. He was fired not for failing in his duties, not for misconduct, and not for political disagreements about law enforcement policy.

He was fired because the American people learned that Director Patel had been using the FBI’s $60 million jet, at $20,000 per flight, to go on dates with his girlfriend. To make matters worse, recent reporting indicates that Patel has now also pulled agents off of an FBI SWAT team to provide a personal security detail for his girlfriend… an unprecedented use of some of one our nation’s most elite units, ordinarily assigned to deal with terrorism, hostage situations, or mass shootings.

Thousands of FBI agents… all forced out, not because they failed to do their jobs, but because they refused to bend the knee to partisan politics. 

And as if that weren’t alarming enough, in recent months the FBI has reassigned between 25 and 45 percent of its agents who handle counterterrorism, cyber, espionage, child sexual abuse, and other critical missions… to immigration enforcement.

Data reveals a 33 percent decrease in the hours spent on child exploitation cases, compared to previous years.

Firing agents who investigate terrorists, foreign spies, cyber hackers, and child predators does not make America safer, especially when the president’s own intelligence officials warn, publicly and repeatedly, of the many threats facing our nation. 

Just this summer, the ODNI issued a bulletin warning of Al Qa-ida and ISIS plots targeting the homeland. And just last month, the FBI disrupted ISIS terrorist plots in Michigan and New Jersey that may have been aimed at Halloween festivities.

I shudder to think what would have happened had the FBI missed these plots… had semi-automatic rifles been unleashed on young children trick-or-treating.

The FBI Agents Association, which represents over 90percent of all active FBI agents, issued a sobering warning earlier this month that Director Patel, quote, “disregarded the law and launched a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution” and that his actions, quote, “make the American public less safe.”

Unfortunately, this political purge of our country’s defenses is not limited to the FBI. 

Since April, the National Security Agency – the agency in charge of spying on the communications of our adversaries – has been without a permanent Director or Deputy Director after President Trump fired General Tim Haugh and his Deputy, Wendy Noble, at the behest of conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. 

Same for the Defense Intelligence Agency, whose director, General Jeff Kruse, was fired after DIA provided a fact-based assessment that contradicted the president’s false televised claim that U.S. strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.

This pattern of reckless firings has extended to nearly every corner of our national security enterprise. 

Hundreds of workers who are responsible for maintaining our country’s nuclear weapons… fired. 

Staff managing foreign assistance programs ranging from the detention of ISIS terrorists in Syria to air defense support for Ukraine… fired. 

Hundreds of analysts monitoring China and Russia… fired… including a 29-year veteran of the CIA who supported President Trump’s Alaska Summit with President Putin… whose undercover identity was publicly and incompetently disclosed by DNI Tulsi Gabbard.

More than one-third of CISA – the agency Congress established for the explicit purpose of protecting our critical infrastructure like water, power, and our elections – fired…  even as major cyberattacks hit state and local governments in at least 44 states, including a massive ransomware attack on Nevada’s online government systems in August, a ransomware attack in July on local government networks in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a cyberattack on city systems in Mission, Texas in February.

The irony is stark: despite persistent efforts by China, Russia, Iran, and other adversaries, the 2020 presidential election was one of the most secure in history, thanks in large part to steps taken during the Trump administration’s first term to safeguard our critical infrastructure.

Yet now, much of that hard-won protection has been dismantled, leaving Americans more vulnerable than ever.

Cyber Command, which under General Paul Nakasone disrupted Russian troll farms in 2017, lacks a permanent Commander.  The Foreign Influence Task Force – stood up by President Trump in his first term to share information with state and local partners about foreign interference in our elections – has been disbanded entirely.

And all the while, the administration’s own intelligence reporting warns – and I quote:

“Beijing will continue to expand its coercive and subversive malign influence activities to weaken the United States…[and] is likely to feel emboldened to use malign influence more regularly in coming years, particularly as it fields AI to improve its capabilities.”

“Moscow’s malign influence activities will continue for the foreseeable future and will almost certainly increase in sophistication and volume.”

“Iran’s growing expertise and willingness to conduct aggressive cyber operations make it a major threat to the security of U.S. networks and data.”

The pattern is unmistakable: political loyalty is now valued over competence, and the very institutions created to protect Americans are being dismantled before our eyes.

We can no longer pretend that politics and national security are separate. Every day we allow this purge to continue is a day we leave Americans more exposed – in their homes, on their streets, and online.

The next attack will not wait for Congress to act. The next threat will not ask permission. And when it comes, the consequences will not be measured in polling numbers or election results. They will be measured in lives lost, infrastructure damaged, and national security compromised.

This is the moment to stand up. To defend our intelligence agencies, to protect our agents, and to safeguard the American people. If we fail to act now, we will bear the cost later… a cost that could be catastrophic.

Thank you. I yield the floor.

###

WASHINGTON – Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) issued the following statement blasting the Trump administration for holding a partisan military briefing and withholding legally requested information from Democratic senators:

“Shutting Democrats out of a briefing on U.S. military strikes and withholding the legal justification for those strikes from half the Senate is indefensible and dangerous. Decisions about the use of American military force are not campaign strategy sessions, and they are not the private property of one political party. For any administration to treat them that way erodes our national security and flies in the face of Congress’ constitutional obligation to oversee matters of war and peace.

“This partisan stunt is a slap in the face to Congress’ war powers responsibilities and to the men and women who serve this country. It also sets a reckless and deeply troubling precedent. The administration must immediately provide to Democrats the same briefing and the OLC opinion justifying these strikes, as Secretary Rubio personally promised me that he would in a face-to-face meeting on Capitol Hill just last week. Americans deserve a government that fulfills its constitutional duties and treats decisions about the use of military force with the seriousness they demand.”

###

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, wrote Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard regarding concerns that she may have directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to cease disclosing attempted foreign interference in U.S. elections and requested she provide an urgent briefing on foreign election threats. The Senators also demanded Gabbard clarify her comments made about alleged “evidence” of vulnerabilities to electronic voting systems and manipulation of election results, which has not been substantiated.

As the country approaches the 2026 federal midterm elections, the Senators highlighted the importance of protecting the United States from foreign influence, including cyber threats. Warner and Padilla pushed Gabbard and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to coordinate an IC briefing on these threats by October 10th, and requested a plan for defensive cybersecurity measures ahead of the 2025 and 2026 election cycles.

This year, Gabbard has made harmful and unsubstantiated statements about voting system vulnerabilities as the Trump Administration has dismantled election security efforts at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and curtailed the Congressionally authorized Foreign Malign Influence Center at ODNI. At a cabinet meeting in April, Gabbard claimed that she has “evidence” about voting manipulation in electronic voting machines, and on a right-wing podcast in July, she said that her office has evidence of voting machine vulnerabilities that it had not disclosed to the American public or Congress.

“As your testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in March made clear, foreign adversaries continue to conduct influence activities to undermine public confidence in our election system and potentially even shape election outcomes,” wrote the senators. “While you have chosen not to release a declassified version of the Intelligence Community Assessment for the 2024 U.S. Elections, the final Election Security Update ahead of Election Day noted that ‘Foreign actors – particularly Russia, Iran, and China – remain intent on’ pursuing efforts to undermine public confidence in our democratic system, including inciting violence among Americans. We are concerned that you may have directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to cease its intelligence reporting on this vital topic.”

“Given sustained efforts by the current Administration to dismantle CISA’s election security mission, including discontinuing funding to the critically important Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, over the bipartisan objections of Secretaries of State, your cyber vulnerability claims are puzzling and elicit justified skepticism, as well as concerns of politicization,” continued the senators. “Since taking office, the Administration paused CISA’s election security work, fired election security staff, and staff are reportedly afraid to work with state and local election officials and vendors for fear of retribution.”

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Director Gabbard:

For the better part of the last decade, the Senate Rules Committee and Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have led efforts to educate the United States Senate, and the American public, about foreign threats to our elections. As your testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in March made clear, foreign adversaries continue to conduct influence activities to undermine public confidence in our election system and potentially even shape election outcomes. While you have chosen not to release a declassified version of the Intelligence Community Assessment for the 2024 U.S. Elections, the final Election Security Update ahead of Election Day noted that “Foreign actors – particularly Russia, Iran, and China – remain intent on” pursuing efforts to undermine public confidence in our democratic system, including inciting violence among Americans. We are concerned that you may have directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to cease its intelligence reporting on this vital topic.

As the election cycle for the 2026 federal mid-term elections gets underway, and multiple state contests have already begun, we write to request that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) coordinate an IC briefing for Senators on foreign election threats, including efforts to influence election outcomes through influence or cyber-enabled means. As part of that briefing, ODNI and the IC should also update the Senate on the status of planned defensive steps to ensure the cybersecurity of several state-wide elections in November 2025 and the mid-term elections in 2026.

In addition to an intelligence briefing on these threats, we invite you to clarify public statements that you have made about voting system security, which have generated significant confusion against the backdrop of efforts to dismantle key election security initiatives and programs at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and at the Foreign Malign Influence Center at ODNI. Specifically, at a cabinet meeting with the President on April 10, 2025, you stated that ODNI was “investigating” the issue of “election integrity”:

“We have evidence of how these electronic voting systems have been vulnerable to hackers for a very long time and vulnerable to exploitation to manipulate the results of the votes being cast […].”

On July 31, 2025, you appeared on a partisan political podcast and repeated these claims, citing alleged information from CISA:

“[A] whistleblower who came forward who was working under CISA at that time which is responsible for critical infrastructure and trying to protect against cyber vulnerability and critical infrastructure, including of course the integrity of our elections. And what was interesting was seeing how this whistleblower brought forward information that CISA at the time – the federal government – was aware of vulnerabilities in our election machines but they chose not to disclose that information to the American people or administration at that time. […] We’re continuing to investigate this […].”

Given sustained efforts by the current Administration to dismantle CISA’s election security mission, including discontinuing funding to the critically important Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, over the bipartisan objections of Secretaries of State, your cyber vulnerability claims are puzzling and elicit justified skepticism, as well as concerns of politicization. Since taking office, the Administration paused CISA’s election security work, fired election security staff, and staff are reportedly afraid to work with state and local election officials and vendors for fear of retribution. In June, the Administration proposed to cut CISA’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget by $495 million and reduce its workforce by 30%. To date, CISA has failed to disclose its assessment of its election security work or its plans to secure future elections to Congress or the American people. According to public reports, you have also initiated a review of work of the Congressionally-authorized Foreign Malign Influence Center.

With significant elections occurring less than 60 days away, we ask that ODNI coordinate an IC briefing before October 10.

Sincerely,

WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement on the firing of General Jeffrey Kruse as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA): 

“The firing of yet another senior national security official underscores the Trump administration’s dangerous habit of treating intelligence as a loyalty test rather than a safeguard for our country. General Kruse is a career military officer with decades of distinguished, non-partisan service to our nation, making this ouster all the more troubling.

“It is perhaps unsurprising that General Kruse’s removal as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency comes on the heels of a DIA assessment that directly contradicted the president’s claim to have ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program. That kind of honest, fact-based analysis is exactly what we should want from our intelligence agencies, regardless of whether it flatters the White House narrative. When expertise is cast aside and intelligence is distorted or silenced, our adversaries gain the upper hand and America is left less safe.”

###

WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released plans to cut the office’s workforce:

“Twenty years after it was established, there is broad, bipartisan agreement that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is in need of thoughtful reform. The Intelligence Authorization Act directs Director Gabbard to submit a plan to Congress outlining her proposed changes, and we will carefully review her proposals and conduct rigorous oversight to ensure any reforms strengthen, not weaken, our national security. But given Director Gabbard’s track record of politicizing intelligence – including her decision just yesterday to revoke security clearances from career national security officials – I have no confidence that she is the right person to carry out this weighty responsibility.”

###

WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement:

“Today, President Trump will once again sit down with Vladimir Putin. While we should all hope this meeting produces a genuine step toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, given his track record of cozying up to the Kremlin, refusing to confront Russian election interference, and even taking Putin’s word over the assessments of our own intelligence agencies, I fear this meeting could once again end with America ceding ground to an autocrat who has spent his career undermining democratic values.

“Ukraine’s sovereignty is not a bargaining chip and the right of a democratic nation to determine its own future is not something to be bartered away in a closed-door meeting. For generations, the United States has carried the global mantle for freedom, self-determination, and rule of law, even when the cost was high and the outcome uncertain. Today, the world will be watching to see whether America will continue to lead with principle or shrink in the face of aggression.

“According to the U.S. intelligence community, Putin’s long-term objectives in Ukraine remain unchanged: the complete military and political capitulation of Ukraine. These objectives include the full withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Donbas region and other territories, the removal of the democratically elected Ukrainian government, and the establishment of a pro-Russian regime. These are not peace terms; they are ultimatums that would erase Ukraine’s sovereignty, threaten freedom worldwide, and make Americans less safe.  

“There can be no concessions without full Ukrainian participation, verified Russian withdrawal from occupied territory, and enforceable guarantees for Ukraine’s security. Anything less would be an invitation for further aggression from Moscow and every autocrat watching to see if the United States still has the backbone to defend the principles that have kept Americans safe since the Second World War.”  

###

WASHINGTON – Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Vice Chairman Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement after Senate Republicans voted 52-44 to confirm Joe Kent to head the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC):

“In May, Congress received clear written evidence that Mr. Kent, while serving as chief of staff to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, sought to manipulate intelligence to match a political narrative promoted by President Trump. His efforts to alter intelligence assessments in support of demonstrably false political claims is not only a gross violation of the solemn responsibility with which the intelligence community is charged, which is to speak truth to power regardless of politics, but it is also a threat to our ability to keep the nation safe. When intelligence is shaped to fit political agendas instead of hard facts, it blinds decision-makers to real threats, sows confusion among our allies, and emboldens our adversaries.

“With today’s party-line vote to confirm Mr. Kent to one of the nation’s most sensitive counterterrorism roles, the Senate missed an opportunity to hold the Trump administration accountable for openly politicizing intelligence – a precedent that, if left unchecked, threatens to erode trust in our intelligence agencies, compromise the integrity of national security assessments, and ultimately make Americans less safe.”

On May 21, the Senate Intelligence Committee received copies of emails indicating that Mr. Kent pressured career intelligence officials to revise and suppress analytical conclusions that contradicted public claims made by President Trump. Specifically, Kent pressed the National Intelligence Council (NIC) to rewrite findings about the relationship between Venezuela’s government and the criminal gang Tren de Aragua (TDA) “so this document is not used against the DNI or POTUS,” and to emphasize supposed ties between the Venezuelan government and TDA. Despite the pressure, the April 7 assessment issued by the NIC reaffirmed the original conclusion that Venezuela’s government “probably does not have a policy of cooperating with TDA and is not directing TDA movement to and operations in the United States.” Shortly thereafter, the senior career analysts leading the NIC were dismissed from their positions by DNI Gabbard.

Sen. Warner spoke in opposition to Mr. Kent’s nomination on the Senate floor prior to the vote. Video of those remarks is available here.  

WASHINGTON – Today, Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Jim Himes (D-CT-04), and Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) sent a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard expressing “grave concern” about her recent interference in the independence of the Office of the Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG).

In the letter, the lawmakers strongly objected to Director Gabbard’s decision to unilaterally terminate the Acting Counsel to the ICIG and to appoint a “Senior Advisor” to work within the ICIG’s office while reporting directly to the Director herself. The letter notes that these actions were taken without the approval of the Acting ICIG, in direct contravention of federal statues designed to protect the independence of the Inspector General’s office. Director Gabbard’s actions were brought to Congress’s attention in a letter the Acting Inspector General sent to lawmakers on May 28.

“Your actions violate both the letter and the spirit of the law,” the lawmakers wrote. “Despite your obligation to keep the congressional oversight committees fully and currently informed, our committees were notified of your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel, not by your office, but by the Acting ICIG.”

The lawmakers underscored that Director Gabbard’s appointment of a Senior Advisor inside the ICIG’s office compromised the ability to carry out its statutory mission of identifying and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse in the intelligence community.

“[The Acting ICIG’s] letter also disclosed that you have appointed a ‘Senior Advisor’ within the Office of the ICIG who reports to you but works in the ICIG’s office spaces, which presents significant concerns not only for the independence of the ICIG but also the ability of the ICIG to protect confidential whistleblower information,” the lawmakers stated. “Our understanding is that your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel was made 48 hours after she made inquiries regarding the legal basis for the appointment of the Senior Advisor.”

“Your recent actions undermine this independence and are contrary to commitments you made during your confirmation process,” the lawmakers wrote.

The lawmakers called on Director Gabbard to immediately cease “illegal interference into the ICIG’s operations” and to provide a detailed accounting of the personnel actions and communications that led to these decisions.

The letter concludes with a clear warning: “The ICIG must remain independent of political influence, and we will continue to oppose any attempt to interfere with its work, or silence its conclusions.”

A copy of letter is available here and text is below.

Director Gabbard:

We are writing to express our grave concern with your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (ICIG) and to appoint a “Senior Advisor” within the Office of the ICIG without the approval of the Acting ICIG. 

The Office of the ICIG was established by the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 with a stated purpose of creating “an objective and effective office, appropriately accountable to Congress, to initiate and conduct independent investigations, inspections, audits, and reviews on programs and activities within the responsibility and authority of the Director of National Intelligence.”  To protect the independence of the Office, the law provides that the ICIG has “final approval of . . . personnel decisions concerning personnel permanently assigned to the Office of the Inspector General” and “shall . . . appoint a Counsel to the Inspector General who shall report to the Inspector General.”

Your actions violate both the letter and the spirit of the law.  Despite your obligation to keep the congressional oversight committees fully and currently informed, our committees were notified of your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel, not by your office, but by the Acting ICIG.  Her letter also disclosed that you have appointed a “Senior Advisor” within the Office of the ICIG who reports to you but works in the ICIG’s office spaces, which presents significant concerns not only for the independence of the ICIG but also the ability of the ICIG to protect confidential whistleblower information.  Our understanding is that your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel was made 48 hours after she made inquiries regarding the legal basis for the appointment of the Senior Advisor. 

The Acting ICIG disputes your assertion that she “agreed” to terminate the Acting Counsel and described your actions as “contrary to law” and “never sufficiently explained.”  As you testified at your confirmation hearing, the ICIG’s independence is “essential to ensure oversight and accountability.”  Your recent actions undermine this independence and are contrary to commitments you made during your confirmation process.  Therefore, we ask that you immediately provide our committees with the following information:

The justification for your decision to terminate the Acting Counsel to the ICIG.

The justification and legal basis for your decision to appoint a “Senior Advisor” within the Office of the ICIG who reports to you but works in the ICIG’s office spaces.

The identity of the “Senior Advisor” described in the Acting ICIG’s letter.

The names and positions of all ODNI personnel who participated in meetings regarding the decision to terminate the Acting Counsel to the ICIG or appoint a “Senior Advisor” to work within the Office of the ICIG.

All correspondence you have had with the Office of the ICIG since February 12, 2025.

A description of, along with the justification and legal basis for any other personnel actions you have taken with regard to the Office of the ICIG.

The ICIG must remain independent of political influence, and we will continue to oppose any attempt to interfere with its work, or silence its conclusions.

We request that you immediately cease your illegal interference into the ICIG’s operations, and look forward to your prompt reply to the information we are requesting.

Sincerely,

###

WASHINGTON –Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, and U.S. Reps. Adam Smith (D-WA), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Jim Himes (D-CT), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement in response to Russia rejecting a joint U.S. and Ukrainian agreement for a 30-day ceasefire.

“Make no mistake—Putin is stringing the world along but his answers amount to a no while President Zelensky responded with a clear and unambiguous yes. President Trump is making a major mistake by continuing to put all the pressure on President Zelensky and none on Putin.

“Putin continues to push his demands to subjugate Ukraine. He has manipulated and rejected President Trump’s efforts to negotiate a ceasefire and to achieve peace. He has indicated that a monthlong ceasefire might even give Ukraine’s forces a chance to retreat, regroup, and rearm, saying, ‘Does that mean Ukraine will use those 30 days to continue forced mobilization, get weapons supplies, and prepare its mobilized units?’ This comment proves that Putin is still trying to weaken Ukraine so that he is in a better position to win the war, not achieve a just peace.

“Remember, Putin started this war and only he can stop it. He won’t stop until it can be shown that he cannot achieve his maximalist goals. Ukraine needs security guarantees to continue defending itself and the Administration should be working to that end. This includes providing arms and intelligence support to Ukraine to deter Russia and working with allies and partners to support lasting security for Ukraine in the future.

“We all want peace. We’re not going to get to peace unless the president starts putting pressure on Putin and demonstrates strength and support for Ukraine so that they are able to pursue a ceasefire with Russia and negotiate a just and sustainable end to Putin’s war.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, today wrote to American domain registrars NameCheap, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, NewFold Digital, NameSilo, and Versign – which were identified in a Department of Justice affidavit as providing domain services to the “Doppelganger” Russian covert influence network – pressing them to take immediate steps to address the continued abuse of their services for foreign covert influence, particularly in the period preceding and following Election Day.

Through the maintenance of both inauthentic social media accounts and websites, the hallmark of the Russian government-directed foreign malign influence campaigns known as “Doppelganger” has been the impersonation of Western media institutions online, including outlets like the Washington Post, Fox News, and Forward. Russian influence operatives have been attributed impersonating dozens of legitimate organizations online as early as September 2022, when researchers at the nonprofit EU Disinfo Lab first identified the network’s campaigns, using misleading domains (such as www.washingtonpost.pm, www.washingtonpost.ltd, www.fox-news.in, www.fox-news.top and www.forward.pw) to covertly spread Russian government propaganda with the aim of reducing international support for Ukraine, bolstering pro-Russian policies and interests, and influencing voters in U.S. and foreign elections, including the 2024 presidential election. 

Citing research conducted by Meta in 2023, Warner noted several ways in which the global domain name industry has enabled Russian malign influence activity, including withholding vital domain name registration information from good-faith researchers and digital forensic investigators, ignoring inaccurate registration information submitted by registrants, and failing to identify repeated instances of intentional and malicious domain name squatting used to impersonate legitimate organizations.

Wrote Warner today, “Information included in the affidavit supporting recent seizure of a number of these domains provides further indication of your industry’s apparent inattention to abuses by foreign actors engaged in covert influence. Specifically, Russian influence actors utilized a number of tactics, techniques, and procedures that – against the backdrop of extensive open source literature on Doppelganger’s practices – should have alerted your company to abuse of its services, including the use of cryptocurrency to purchase domains, heavy reliance on anonymizing infrastructure to access your registration services (including the use of IPs widely associated with cybercriminal obfuscation network activity), the use of credit cards issued to a U.S. company “that has significant ties to, and employees based in, Russia,” use of fictitious and poorly-backstopped identities for registrants, and in at least one instance the use of a Russian address.”

Noted Warner, “While foreign covert influence represents one of the most egregious abuses of the domain name system, the industry’s inattention to abuse has been well-documented for years, enabling malicious activity such as phishing campaigns, drive-by malware, and online scams – all possible because of malicious actors using your services… Given the continued lapses of your industry to address these abuses, I believe Congress may need to evaluate legislative remedies that promote greater diligence across the global domain name ecosystem.”

“In the interim, your company must take immediate steps to address the continued abuse of your services for foreign covert influence – particularly in the days preceding, and weeks immediately following, Election Day. With the prospect of a close election – and declassified intelligence demonstrating the past practice of foreign adversaries in spreading narratives that undermine confidence in election processes– Americans will be particularly reliant on media organizations and state and local government websites to provide authoritative and accurate election information. It is imperative that your company work to diminish the risk that foreign adversaries use impersonated domains to promote false narratives in this context,” Warner concluded.

As Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Warner has been consistently warning about the threat posed by foreign covert influence networks ahead of the 2024 elections. Last month, he convened a public hearing with representatives from Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft examining the roles and responsibilities of U.S. platforms to prevent the spread of foreign propaganda and misinformation on their networks.

A copy of the letters are available here.

### 

WASHINGTON – Today, Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL), joined by U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL-08), Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Rob Wittman (R-VA-01), member of the Select Committee on the CCP, and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, introduced legislation to require the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to develop a strategy to improve the sharing of information and intelligence between the Intelligence Community (IC) and private companies to mitigate the threat that foreign adversaries including the People’s Republic of China (PRC) pose to United States companies in foreign jurisdictions on projects relating to energy generation and storage, including in the critical minerals industry.

The legislation would direct the DNI to create a strategy for information sharing on foreign adversaries’ tactics and illicit activities to spread disinformation, steal intellectual property, and use other illegal efforts to undermine U.S. interests abroad as related to critical minerals. The legislation clarifies that the exchange of information would be voluntary, and at the discretion of the IC and U.S. companies.  

“American companies have been working to invest in critical minerals projects in the U.S. and abroad in order to reduce our country’s dependence on China and meet the increasing demand for these minerals, which are critical for technologies across society,” said Sen. Warner. “Our foreign adversaries, in particular the PRC, are increasing malicious efforts to undermine U.S. attempts to dominate in this industry. Increasing collaboration between the IC and these companies is a strong step towards ensuring that our adversaries will not succeed in interfering with U.S. projects abroad, and instead help cultivate strong public-private partnerships that will boost U.S. businesses and interests, particularly in areas of technology critical to our national security.”

“At a time when foreign adversaries continue to undermine our national security interests, we must enhance the sharing of information in the critical mineral sector,” said Sen. Rubio. “This bipartisan and bicameral bill will enhance intelligence community efforts to share timely and critical information with the private sector on the pressing threats to American companies in the critical energy sectors.”

“American companies must be able to invest and compete in foreign markets without undue interference from foreign adversaries. The bipartisan Enhancing Public-Private Sharing on Manipulative Adversary Practices in Critical Minerals Projects Act will help protect American businesses in international critical minerals markets from the illicit tactics of foreign adversaries, such as the CCP,” said Rep. Krishnamoorthi. “Securing our supply chains for critical minerals independent of the PRC is essential to our national security, our transition to a clean energy economy, and the competitiveness of American businesses abroad.”

“Unsurprisingly, the Chinese Communist Party is actively trying to undermine U.S. companies pursuing critical mineral projects by spreading disinformation and propaganda,” said Rep. Wittman. “As a senior member of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, I am proud to join my colleagues to introduce the bipartisan Public-Private Manipulative Practices Act to enable the U.S. government to more effectively partner with American companies to counter illicit activities from all foreign adversaries that seek to restrict our access to the world’s critical mineral supply.”

“In recent years, foreign adversaries have targeted U.S. companies attempting to procure critical minerals abroad through illicit or deceptive disinformation campaigns, malicious activity, and other forms of economic espionage. Our foreign adversaries want the U.S. and our national security to continue to be dependent on foreign supply chains. That's bad for our national security and bad for business,” said Rep. Houlahan. “One of the impacts to the U.S. is especially problematic — issues accessing critical minerals and developing secure supply chains we need for energy and storage. Passing this bill is crucial to protecting American businesses from spying and other harmful activities, and I'm glad to see it has broad bipartisan support. Our intelligence agencies and the government must work together to ensure our national security is strong, and American companies can get the critical minerals they need from overseas.”

Joining Sens. Warner and Rubio and Reps. Krishnamoorthi, Wittman, and Houlahan in introduction of this legislation are Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), James Lankford (R-OK), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), John Cornyn (R-TX), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

This is latest step that the Senate Intelligence Committee leaders have taken to counter China’s dominance in this key sector. Last year, Chair Warner and Vice Chair Rubio hosted government officials and domestic industry leaders for a roundtable discussion on access to critical minerals. During that roundtable, industry leaders asked for more robust government support identifying unfair and corrupt practices by foreign adversaries. Specifically, private sector companies attempting to secure critical mineral projects abroad have faced the PRC’s efforts to spread disinformation to foreign host governments about U.S. companies, steal U.S. company IP, and sabotage U.S. company contracts.

Chair Warner and Vice Chair Rubio have also led efforts to secure supply chains and reduce U.S. reliance on the PRC for minerals that are inputs for critical technologies including through increased government support to U.S. private sector companies investing and operating in critical mineral projects.

“The Enhancing Public-Private Sharing on Manipulate Adversary Practices in Critical Minerals Projects Act will help American businesses respond to deceptive and malicious efforts by our adversaries to crowd them out of critical minerals projects in foreign markets. This act will ensure the U.S. government supports and stands by our businesses abroad in industries that are key to our national interests. We look forward to working with Congress to advance this important piece of legislation,” said Avery Ash, SVP, SAFE.

Text of the bill is available here.

###