Gabbard Purges 100+ Intel Officials in Explosive Chat Room Scandal
Paul Riverbank, 2/27/2025In a sweeping action, DNI Tulsi Gabbard terminated over 100 intelligence employees for misusing government communication systems with inappropriate content. This unprecedented mass dismissal stems from the discovery of explicit chat rooms on NSA's Intelink platform, raising serious questions about professional conduct in intelligence agencies.
In a dramatic shake-up of the U.S. intelligence community, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced the termination of over 100 intelligence employees for misusing government communication systems with inappropriate content.
The employees, spanning multiple intelligence agencies, were found to have participated in explicit chat rooms on the National Security Agency's Intelink platform — a system meant for professional communications.
"This is really just an egregious violation of trust," Gabbard told Fox News, highlighting the severity of the misconduct. The behavior was exposed through an investigation by conservative journalist Christopher Rufo, who published his findings in City Journal.
The exposed chat logs, dating from 2022 to 2024, revealed discussions far removed from national security matters. Intelligence community members used government resources to discuss personal topics including sexual preferences, medical procedures and gender identity — all during paid work hours.
The NSA responded to the revelations with a statement acknowledging the investigation, noting that "IC collaboration platforms are intended to drive mission outcomes" and that the "potential misuse of these platforms by a small group of individuals does not represent the community."
Gabbard's response was swift and decisive. Her office issued a directive requiring the termination of all involved employees and the revocation of their security clearances by the end of the week. DNI spokeswoman Alexa Henning confirmed these measures.
"These disgusting chat groups were immediately shut down when [President Trump] issued his EO ending the DEI insanity the Biden Admin was obsessed with," Gabbard stated on social media. "Our IC must be focused on our core mission: ensuring the safety, security and freedom of the American people."
The scandal has broader implications for the intelligence community's professional standards and oversight. Gabbard suggested this incident might be "just barely scratching the surface" of deeper issues within the intelligence services, pointing to a pattern of limited accountability "certainly not over the last four years, certainly not over the last ten maybe 20 years."
The controversy highlights ongoing tensions between professional conduct expectations and workplace culture in government agencies. It also raises questions about the effectiveness of existing oversight mechanisms and the balance between personal expression and professional responsibilities in sensitive government positions.
The NSA confirmed that investigations into the misuse of government systems are ongoing, suggesting there might be more revelations to come. This development marks one of the largest mass terminations in recent intelligence community history — a clear signal that the current administration intends to enforce stricter professional standards across intelligence agencies.
