Tulsi Gabbard Releases Documents Surrounding 2019 Trump Impeachment

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard released classified documents pertaining to a whistleblower complaint that led to the 2019 impeachment attempt against President Donald Trump.

The Files: The documents released by the DNI on Monday included investigative materials and a review of two transcripts from then intelligence community (IC) inspector general (IG) Michael Atkinson's closed-door testimony before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which were withheld from the House Judiciary Committee during the course of the impeachment trial, according to the DNI. The documents were "kept locked in a safe until House Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford led the vote to release these transcripts on Tuesday, March 24, 2026."

Criminal Referrals: The DNI on Wednesday sent criminal referrals to the Department of Justice.

Gabbard's Claims: According to Gabbard, Atkinson did not follow proper procedures before sending a whistleblower's complaint about Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Congress, which formed the foundation of Trump's first impeachment attempt. Gabbard said that "Atkinson failed to uphold his responsibility to the American people, putting political motivations over the truth," and "along with the politicization of the whistleblower process by a former CIA employee who was working hand in glove with Democrats in Congress, are egregious examples of the deep state playbook on how to weaponize the Intelligence community."

Witnesses: The DNI release showed that Atkinson interviewed four witnesses, including the whistleblower during his investigation, none of which had firsthand knowledge of Trump's call with Zelenskyy. Gabbard's office also highlighted that one witness, was a "friend" of the whistleblower and a "co-author of the January 2017 Russia Hoax Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA)."

"Flimsy Work and Biased Evidence": The New York Post (Lean Right bias) framed the coverage around Gabbard's claims against Atkinson, saying the "trove" of documents released revealed the "flimsy work, biased evidence and lack of firsthand accounts" used to advance the impeachment attempt.

"Twisted Revenge Plot": MS Now (Left) said that by reviving deep state conspiracy claims, Gabbard shows "a pattern of behavior that Democratic lawmakers say reveals a director of national intelligence willing to distort facts to serve the president's grievances." The Daily Beast (Left) called Gabbard's claims and criminal referrals a "Twisted Revenge Plot on Trump Whistleblower."  

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