Gabbard Alleges Ongoing CIA Media Influence via ‘Operation Mockingbird’
Director of National Intelligence claims Cold War‑era media programme persists amid declassification and legal inquiry
Tulsi Gabbard, serving as Director of National Intelligence since February 2025, has asserted that the CIA continues to operate a version of "Operation Mockingbird", a Cold War-era programme in which intelligence officials influenced media outlets to shape public opinion.
She maintains that current intelligence actors are colluding with media organisations to undermine President Trump’s administration policies.
Gabbard stated that some members of the intelligence community believe their own agenda supersedes that of the American people, and that leaks to left‑wing media are weaponised to attack President Trump’s agenda.
She intends to release further documentation supporting her claims and has referred the matter to the Department of Justice.
The original Operation Mockingbird, investigated and declassified through Congressional inquiries and FOIA releases in the 1970s, involved covert CIA engagement with journalists and media organisations, founding relationships that placed agency perspectives into domestic and international news coverage.
These operations included recruiting journalists and placing narratives designed to reflect US intelligence interests.
Gabbard’s assertions follow the mid‑July declassification of a 44‑page House Intelligence Committee report that challenges the credibility of the 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
The report questions the reliability of certain sources, criticises former CIA Director John Brennan’s inclusion of contested assessments regarding Putin’s preference for Trump, and alleges intelligence manipulation under the Obama administration.
Gabbard described the situation as indicative of a “treasonous conspiracy”.
Former CIA counter‑intelligence chief Susan Miller, who led the 2016 Russia interference assessment, directly rebutted Gabbard’s claims.
Miller stated that the intelligence conclusions were based on credible sources, that no falsification occurred, and that the Steele dossier was not foundational to the report but appended under FBI pressure.
She denied any political manipulation and stated that Russian interference was limited to media and cyber campaigns, not tampering with voting machines.
The dispute has drawn responses across political lines.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham endorsed Gabbard’s demand for a special counsel investigation, rejecting calls for former President Obama’s prosecution but supporting inquiry into whether intelligence assessments were altered due to political motives.
MSNBC host Kristen Welker and others challenged Graham’s assertion by citing the 2023 findings of Special Counsel John Durham, which concluded there was no political interference in the Russiagate probe, as well as the bipartisan 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report affirming Russian interference.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has formed a task force to investigate the newly declassified intelligence, focusing on allegations of improper source reliance, flawed use of the Steele dossier, and potential deliberate misdirection in the narrative of Russian interference favouring Trump.
The task force aims to examine whether political objectives shaped the intelligence assessment.
She maintains that current intelligence actors are colluding with media organisations to undermine President Trump’s administration policies.
Gabbard stated that some members of the intelligence community believe their own agenda supersedes that of the American people, and that leaks to left‑wing media are weaponised to attack President Trump’s agenda.
She intends to release further documentation supporting her claims and has referred the matter to the Department of Justice.
The original Operation Mockingbird, investigated and declassified through Congressional inquiries and FOIA releases in the 1970s, involved covert CIA engagement with journalists and media organisations, founding relationships that placed agency perspectives into domestic and international news coverage.
These operations included recruiting journalists and placing narratives designed to reflect US intelligence interests.
Gabbard’s assertions follow the mid‑July declassification of a 44‑page House Intelligence Committee report that challenges the credibility of the 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
The report questions the reliability of certain sources, criticises former CIA Director John Brennan’s inclusion of contested assessments regarding Putin’s preference for Trump, and alleges intelligence manipulation under the Obama administration.
Gabbard described the situation as indicative of a “treasonous conspiracy”.
Former CIA counter‑intelligence chief Susan Miller, who led the 2016 Russia interference assessment, directly rebutted Gabbard’s claims.
Miller stated that the intelligence conclusions were based on credible sources, that no falsification occurred, and that the Steele dossier was not foundational to the report but appended under FBI pressure.
She denied any political manipulation and stated that Russian interference was limited to media and cyber campaigns, not tampering with voting machines.
The dispute has drawn responses across political lines.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham endorsed Gabbard’s demand for a special counsel investigation, rejecting calls for former President Obama’s prosecution but supporting inquiry into whether intelligence assessments were altered due to political motives.
MSNBC host Kristen Welker and others challenged Graham’s assertion by citing the 2023 findings of Special Counsel John Durham, which concluded there was no political interference in the Russiagate probe, as well as the bipartisan 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report affirming Russian interference.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has formed a task force to investigate the newly declassified intelligence, focusing on allegations of improper source reliance, flawed use of the Steele dossier, and potential deliberate misdirection in the narrative of Russian interference favouring Trump.
The task force aims to examine whether political objectives shaped the intelligence assessment.
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