WASHINGTON — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Thursday released a new tranche of declassified documents that she says expose what administration officials are calling a coordinated effort inside the Intelligence Community to fuel the 2019 impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump.
The documents center on the original whistleblower complaint tied to Trump’s July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — the catalyst for Trump’s first impeachment.
According to the newly released records, the whistleblower, identified in the documents as a CIA analyst and registered Democrat, acknowledged having no firsthand knowledge of the Trump-Zelensky call. The filing instead relied on secondhand accounts and information allegedly gathered from other officials.
The documents further state that the whistleblower traveled with then-Vice President Joe Biden to Ukraine and attended official Biden-related functions while serving in the Intelligence Community.
One of the most significant revelations involves alleged contact between the whistleblower and staff members for then-House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff before the complaint was formally submitted. Schiff repeatedly stated publicly during the impeachment proceedings that he did not know the whistleblower’s identity or have prior knowledge of the complaint.
The records also identify a key supporting witness as an official involved in drafting the controversial 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment on Russian election interference — an assessment long criticized by Trump allies as politically motivated. That witness reportedly admitted investigators could not directly establish evidence of a quid pro quo tied to Ukraine aid and instead had to “read between the lines,” later concluding there may have been one only “in hindsight.”
The release additionally alleges that the whistleblower attempted to block then-Rep. Devin Nunes, a member of the congressional Gang of Eight with oversight authority, from reviewing the disclosure. Internal notes also reportedly described current FBI Director Kash Patel negatively and characterized former National Security Council official Michael Ellis as “slippery and untrustworthy.”
The documents also raise questions about the conduct of former Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson. According to the files, Atkinson never requested the actual transcript of the Trump-Zelensky call before forwarding the complaint to the Department of Justice as a criminal referral. The release further alleges that Atkinson modified whistleblower procedures to remove a requirement for firsthand knowledge before Congress was notified.
DOJ officials at the time reportedly advised that the complaint did not meet the statutory definition of an “urgent concern” and concluded there was no criminal violation.
Trump attorney Alan Dershowitz reacted to the release by accusing federal officials of concealing critical information from both the public and the president’s legal team.
“The evidence about the bias and credibility of the whistleblower was hidden by bureaucrats — a disservice to justice and the American people,” Dershowitz said.
Former House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes described the impeachment effort as “a staged attack by anti-Trump malcontents who believed they, not the American people, should determine who is president.”
According to the release, transcripts viewed as favorable to Trump’s defense were kept classified and unavailable to impeachment defense attorneys until House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford pushed for their release on March 24, 2026.
The controversy surrounding the whistleblower complaint also reignited debate over online censorship during the impeachment era. At the time, major social media platforms including Facebook and YouTube removed posts and restricted users who shared the alleged identity of the whistleblower, widely reported online as Eric Ciaramella.
The newly released files are expected to intensify partisan debate over the origins of Trump’s impeachment and renew scrutiny of the Intelligence Community’s role in the investigation.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence has not yet announced whether additional declassifications are forthcoming.
