A team created by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has allegedly sought mass amounts of internal emails and chat logs from top U.S. spy agencies, in an effort to use A.I. tools to screen for government employees opposing the Trump administration agenda.
The team, known as the Director’s Initiative Group, has reportedly sought information from the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and other agencies involved in sensitive intelligence work, unnamed insiders told The Washington Post.
Sources told the paper the alleged effort, which so far has been unsuccessful, would represent a “treasure trove of a target for any foreign intelligence service to go after” if ever completed, and was conducted with an underlying emphasis on rooting out ostensible “Deep State” career officials working to undermine the president.
Gabbard’s team has reportedly framed its data access efforts as an attempt to pursue increased efficiency and transparency, similar to the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency initiative that took place across a variety of U.S. agencies.
A spokesperson for Gabbard disputed the paper’s reporting.
“The truth is, under the leadership of President Trump, DNI Gabbard and her team at [the Office of the Director of National Intelligence] are daring to do what no other has done before — expose the truth and end the politicization and weaponization of intelligence against Americans,” they said.
Announced in April, the Director’s Initiative Group has a mission of “restoring transparency and accountability to the Intelligence Community,” according to the Trump administration.
The group is tasked with “investigating weaponization, rooting out deep-seeded politicization, exposing unauthorized disclosures of classified intelligence, and declassifying information that serves a public interest,” read a statement from Gabbard’s office announcing the effort.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has vowed to end the alleged “weaponization” of law enforcement and intelligence agencies against perceived opponents.
Gabbard has been involved in multiple high-profile firings of intelligence officials, which critics said were motivated by partisan interests, since being confirmed in February.
In April, more than 100 members of the intelligence community were fired for using official chatrooms to discuss personal matters, including sexually explicit topics and gender transition surgery, after chat logs were published by conservative activist and commentator Christopher Rufo.
The following month, top career officials on the National Intelligence Council were fired for allegedly leaking material to the media.
The firings came after the administration was embarrassed by leaks of intelligence assessments that concluded the Venezuelan government was likely not coordinating with the Tren de Aragua gang – a claim that served as the foundation of the White House’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to summarily deport alleged gang members inside the U.S.
