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Trump, Gabbard Removed Top CIA Russia Expert After Alaska Summit: Report
On August 19, 2025, Tulsi Gabbard, serving as Director of National Intelligence, withdrew the security clearances of 37 current and former officials, including a senior undercover CIA Russia specialist.
Gabbard acted on President Trump's direction to remove individuals accused of weaponizing or politicizing intelligence, releasing the list publicly without full CIA consultation.
The list exposed a covert officer who had worked over 20 years and served on the National Intelligence Council, shocking CIA colleagues and risking agency cover procedures.
Gabbard announced the revocations in a memo naming no specific infractions, prompting criticism that the action was a politically motivated purge and risking loss of vital intelligence expertise.
The clearance revocations and dismissals of national security professionals could weaken U.S. intelligence capabilities on Russia and Ukraine, reducing willingness to report unpalatable assessments ahead of critical diplomacy.
Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Information Services, surprised the officials of the Central Information Agency (CIA) last week when he included a senior CIA coverage officer on the list of 37 unemployed and current officials whose security authorisations were withdrawn, according to the Wall Street Journal.