Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced Wednesday that she is ending the work of a task force created to reform the U.S. intelligence community, less than a year after establishing it, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
Gabbard formed the group in April shortly after she was tapped to oversee coordination of the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies.
The task force was charged with examining reforms within the intelligence community, including rooting out what she described as the politicization of intelligence gathering.
It was also directed to explore ways to reduce spending and consider whether reports on high-profile issues such as COVID-19 should be declassified.
In a statement released Wednesday, Gabbard said the panel’s mission was always intended to be temporary.
“In less than one year, we’ve brought a historic level of transparency to the intelligence community,” Gabbard said in her statement.
“My commitment to transparency, truth, and eliminating politicization and weaponization within the intelligence community remains central to all that we do.”
According to her office, the number of officers assigned to the task force and their identities are classified. Those officers will now return to their respective agencies and continue the work begun under the group’s direction.
The task force drew criticism after its creation. Democrats and some intelligence officials questioned whether it would be used to exert tighter control over intelligence agencies under President Donald Trump.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, voiced concern last year about the group’s purpose.
“This seems to be just a pass for a witch hunt, and that’s going to further undermine our national security,” Warner told Reuters at the time.
Since taking office as director, Gabbard has overseen several significant changes within the intelligence community.
She has used intelligence agencies to back up President Trump’s claims regarding alleged interference in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
In August, Gabbard announced plans to reduce her office’s workforce and cut more than $700 million from its annual budget. In May, she fired two senior intelligence officials after concluding they opposed President Trump.
Under her leadership, the federal government has also revoked the security clearances of dozens of former and current officials, including high-profile political opponents of the president.
Critics have argued that those actions were punitive rather than based on security risks.
Gabbard’s presence at a recent FBI search of a Georgia election office tied to the 2020 election also sparked criticism from Democrats.
They contend that her involvement blurred traditional lines between foreign intelligence collection and domestic law enforcement.
Meanwhile, the Central Intelligence Agency has released additional information regarding its investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
An assessment issued last year reaffirmed the agency’s position that the virus most likely originated in a lab in China.
With the task force now dissolved, its responsibilities will revert to the broader intelligence community under Gabbard’s direction.
Her office has indicated that reform efforts will continue through other channels within the 18-agency framework she oversees.