Press Releases

Washington, DC — Today, Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee Jim Himes wrote to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard requesting information regarding the reported firing of the Acting Chair and Vice Chair of the National Intelligence Council.

“According to anonymous sources cited in the Fox News story, you terminated these two individuals due to their supposed ‘political bias,’” Himes wrote. “This is an exceptionally serious allegation to make against career intelligence officers—and therefore an allegation that requires supporting evidence. I ask that you provide such evidence to the Committee no later than May 21.”

The letter continued: “Given the NIC’s central role in the intelligence community, your decision to terminate its top two officers clearly should have been communicated to the congressional intelligence committees. Providing information to Fox News or other favored media outlets is not a substitute for fulfilling the statutory requirement to keep the intelligence committees fully and currently informed.”

The full text of the letter is available here.