Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), announced on Tuesday that over 100 intelligence officers from 15 different agencies will be dismissed for engaging in inappropriate discussions on a government chat platform.
The National Security Agency (NSA) administered the chat tool, which was designed for secure conversations about sensitive national security matters. However, according to intelligence officials, some employees misused it for sexually explicit discussions and conversations surrounding gender transition surgery, reported CNN.
The chats, which violated established professional conduct, were made public by conservative activist Christopher Rufo on Monday. Rufo, a contributor to City Journal, disclosed transcripts of the inappropriate exchanges.
Appearing on Fox News Tuesday evening, Gabbard explained that she had directed the termination of these employees and the revocation of their security clearances. She condemned the behavior as a serious breach of trust and professionalism, stating that it violated “basic rules and standards” of workplace conduct.
“There are over 100 people from across the intelligence community that contributed to and participated in what is really just an egregious violation of trust,” Gabbard said. “I put out a directive today that they will all be terminated and their security clearances will be revoked. They were brazen in using an NSA platform intended for professional use to conduct this kind of really, really horrific behavior.”
DNI spokesperson Alexa Henning confirmed, on X, that intelligence agencies have been ordered to identify and terminate those involved in the explicit discussions by Friday.
A senior administration official stated that many members of the intelligence community had been reaching out to Gabbard over the issue.
Earlier on Tuesday, the NSA acknowledged the inappropriate nature of the posts and confirmed that investigations were underway. The agency stated it was aware of the posts that “appear to show inappropriate discussions” involving its personnel and vowed to hold those responsible accountable.
“Potential misuse of these platforms by a small group of individuals does not represent the community. Investigations to address this misuse of government systems are ongoing,” the agency stated.
The controversy has extended beyond the NSA, with Gabbard’s office and Central Intelligence Agency taking action against employees involved in diversity efforts under the Biden administration. However, a federal judge has paused the dismissals while reviewing the case, with a ruling expected on Thursday, The New York Times reported.
Notably, no allegations of wrongdoing have been made against the officers working in diversity initiatives. Some of these officers have filed lawsuits seeking reassignment to other roles within the government.
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