Daijiworld Media Network – Washington

Washington, Jul 4: A political storm has erupted in Washington as Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard launched scathing allegations against a veteran journalist from The Washington Post, accusing her of harassing intelligence officials and using unethical means to extract sensitive information.

Taking to social media platform X, Gabbard alleged that Ellen Nakashima, a senior national security reporter with the newspaper, bypassed her office and directly contacted high-ranking officials at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) using an untraceable burner phone. According to the post, Nakashima “refused to identify herself” and “lied about being a journalist,” prompting Gabbard to call the conduct “deranged” and politically motivated.

Gabbard went a step further by linking the incident to what she termed as The Washington Post’s broader agenda to discredit the Biden administration. “This is a clear political op… by the same outlet and the same reporter who harassed and stalked my family in Hawaii,” she wrote, adding that the newspaper had abandoned journalistic ethics in pursuit of political sabotage.

In a swift rebuttal, The Washington Post defended its journalist’s credibility. Matt Murray, the executive editor, described Nakashima as “one of the most careful, fair-minded, and highly regarded reporters” in the field of national security, noting her three-decade career and contributions to Pulitzer Prize-winning investigations.

“Contacting sources, including through unofficial means, is a cornerstone of journalism—especially when reporting on matters of national interest,” Murray said in a statement carried by The Hill. He described Gabbard’s allegations as “unfounded and personal,” adding that it reflects a misunderstanding of the press’s role in holding government officials accountable.

The row is the latest in a series of increasingly tense exchanges between the US government and media outlets. Just last month, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth criticised journalists for “undermining” American defence operations, while former President Trump demanded CNN fire national security reporter Natasha Bertrand for her reporting on intelligence assessments.

With accusations and counter-statements continuing to pour in, the spotlight now turns on the fragile relationship between the intelligence community and the press—a relationship once defined by discretion, now entangled in controversy.