[World Wide Web Reporter Zhao Jiandong] According to NBC on the 31st, citing several current and former intelligence officials, U.S. National Intelligence Director Gabbard recently accidentally disclosed a CIA undercover officer's name caught CIA Director Ratcliffe off guard on the list of 37 officials who revoked security clearances. Reported that the move caused shocks to CIA employees and also led to "escalating tensions between Gabbard and Ratcliffe."

According to the report, the senior analyst who was exposed to her identity had just completed the preparations for the meeting with the Russian President of the United States of Alaska and was scheduled to travel to Europe for a new mission. She was suddenly withdrawn from her security license and dismissed for unknown reasons. A former colleague said: ¡°She has done a lot of preparation for the meeting with the Chief, but she has not yet known why the security license was withdrawn.¡±

In this regard, Gabbard argued that among the above-mentioned 37 current and former officials, some were engaged in activities of "politicizing or weaponizing intelligence work", and she was acting according to the orders of the president. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence of the United States said that it had coordinated with all agencies before sending the letter, and no one would be "caught off guard". Gabbard's memorandum of revocation of security clearance "only listed names, did not mark the agencies to which it belonged, and did not expose any undercover agents".

However, according to people familiar with the matter and U.S. officials, Gabbard and her office failed to properly coordinate with the CIA before revoking the security clearances of 37 current and former officials. The official added: "Gabbard and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence of the United States seem to be unaware of the secret missions of the above-mentioned CIA employees."

NBC said the incident highlighted the ongoing friction between Gabbard and Ratcliffe, and was the second time Gabbard has sparked controversy in recent times. In July this year, despite CIA opposition, she declassified a document about alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. In addition, she plans to move the preparation of the president's daily intelligence briefing from CIA headquarters to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. According to reports, most of the 37 people whose security clearances were revoked were national security officials during the Obama and Biden administrations, and 25 of them jointly signed a letter in support of Democrats 'impeachment investigations against Trump in 2019.

The position of National Intelligence Director was set up after the 9/11 attacks to ensure close coordination between the national intelligence agencies. In the past, there have been disputes between the National Intelligence Director and the CIA director, such as during the Obama period, when the then National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair frequently argued with the CIA director Panetta, and eventually Blair resigned after 16 months in office.