The National Security Agency won't share classified intelligence related to a whistleblower complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard "due to the assertion of executive privilege to portions" of the material.
Gabbard's office made the statement in a Feb. 13 email to Democrat congressional staffers, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The intelligence, assembled by the NSA, concerns a conversation between two foreign nationals about President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., and Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., on Tuesday sent a letter to Gabbard demanding answers related to the report and Gabbard's basis for asserting executive privilege over the intelligence.
"This response and assertion of privilege over this type of intelligence report is unprecedented. The request and provision of intelligence reports have been long-standing practice between the IC and its congressional oversight committees," the lawmakers said.
"Moreover, it is not clear how this intelligence report could implicate executive privilege, which typically protects the deliberation and communications of the president and his senior advisers."
They also questioned the basis for the privilege claim, asking whether Trump "assert[ed] executive privilege over the underlying intelligence report," and, "if so, when did he assert such privilege and on what basis."
A whistleblower has accused Gabbard of wrongdoing, but the complaint is so highly classified it has not been shared with Congress.
Gabbard, according to the Journal, has blocked the report's release, and officials familiar with the matter previously told the Journal there has been a behind-the-scenes dispute over how to handle the allegation.
Gabbard's office shared the complaint with select lawmakers earlier this month, but the report was heavily redacted.
One official told the Journal that disclosing the document could cause "grave damage to national security."
The complaint, filed last May, has been locked in a safe because it includes "exceptionally sensitive materials necessitating special handling and storage requirements," a representative with the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community told the Journal.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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