Gabbard Revokes 37 Clearances, Dismantles Global Trends Unit

As Director of National Intelligence under President Trump, Tulsi Gabbard has moved to dismantle the team that produces the quadrennial Global Trends report, a long-range intelligence product whose past editions warned of climate change, migration shifts and pandemic risk. On Aug. 19 she publicly revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former intelligence and national security officials in a rollout that reportedly was not coordinated with the White House and blindsided senior aides. Reporting said the list included senior officers and at least one covert officer, raising legal and separation-of-powers concerns. Two senior administration officials told NBC the revocations could complicate the Justice Department’s criminal inquiry into former CIA director John Brennan by casting potential witnesses as less reliable, though DOJ said it will continue to collaborate with ODNI and another official noted clearance status does not determine cooperation with prosecutors. Gabbard framed the action as a crackdown on “politicizing” intelligence, while critics say her memo provided no evidence and that the abrupt public rollout demonstrated poor coordination and fueled internal turmoil with the CIA and Trump advisers.