Filtering
Category: Information, Memory and Manipulation ×
Trait: Inspectors general are fired or ignored ×
Clear all
☆ Save this search
Narrow these 2 — tap a value to filter:
Tier 1 carried by a primary record
Corroborated 2+ independent news desks
Every result is verified and democracy-related.
Open an event to see its evidence. Attack and trait tags link to their definitions
Apr 15, 2026 Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence sent criminal referrals against a 2019 whistleblower and former inspector general Corroborated Information, Memory and Manipulation
Referrals targeting protected disclosures related to Trump's first impeachment threaten whistleblower protections and oversight independence.
Independently corroborated by2 independent news desks
Supporting reports
- Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sent criminal referral to DOJ targeting Inspector General Michael Atkinson — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sent a second criminal referral to the Department of Justice targeting Michael Atkinson, the intelligence community inspector general who found the 2019 Ukraine whistleblower complaint "credible" and "urgent" and initiated the process of sharing it with congressional intelligence committees, which led to Trump's first impeachment. The referral is intended to criminalize the inspector general's lawful performance of his oversight duties.
- Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sent criminal referrals to DOJ targeting 2019 Ukraine whistleblower — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sent a criminal referral to the Department of Justice targeting the former government official who was the whistleblower in the July 2019 phone call in which Trump pressured Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in exchange for congressionally appropriated defense funds. The whistleblower had reported to the intelligence community inspector general that Trump was using his office to solicit foreign interference in the 2020 election. The referral is viewed as an attempt to criminalize whistleblowing and chill future complaints.
- DNI Gabbard issues criminal referrals against whistleblower and former IG — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued criminal referrals to the Justice Department against a whistleblower whose complaint contributed to Trump's first impeachment and former Inspector General Michael Atkinson, who handled the complaint. The specific crimes alleged in the referrals were not disclosed.
Attacks
Verified: Corroborated — 2+ independent news desks
Week 65 – 2026-04-11–2026-04-17
wk65_IM_011
Feb 8, 2025 Trump administration took the USAID website and Twitter account offline following the placement of top security officials on leave Tier 1 · Primary Information, Memory and Manipulation
Removing an agency's public information channels restricted transparency about its operations and status.
Independently corroborated by6 independent news desks
Associated Press · Los Angeles Times · Reuters · PBS · The Dispatch · BBC
Supporting reportingSurfacings — do not carry alone
Supporting reports
- USAID website and Twitter removed — The USAID website went offline, and the agency's Twitter profile was removed. This follows the administrative leave of top security officials and reflects the Trump administration's efforts to control information and limit the agency's public presence.
Verified: Tier 1 primary record
Week 4 – 2025-02-08–2025-02-14
wk04_IM_010