William Vaillancourt
Thu, July 3, 2025
DAILY BEAST
Kevin Lamarque / REUTERS
The Washington Post rejected an “unfounded” claim by Tulsi Gabbard that one of the paper’s reporters was “harassing” the Director of National Intelligence’s staffers.
Gabbard had posted earlier Thursday on X that national security reporter Ellen Nakashima “appears to be actively harassing ODNI staff.” Gabbard added: ”Instead of reaching out to my press office, she is calling high-level Intelligence Officers from a burner phone, refusing to identify herself, lying about the fact that she works for the Washington Post, and then demanding they share sensitive information."
Gabbard insisted that what was happening was “a clear political op by the same outlet and the same reporter who harassed and stalked my family in Hawaii.”
The Post’s executive editor, Matt Murray, dismissed Gabbard’s allegations.
“Reaching out to potential sources rather than relying solely on official government press statements regarding matters of public interest is neither nefarious nor is it harassment. It is basic journalism,” Murray explained.
Gabbard didn't understand that what
“DNI Gabbard’s unfounded personal attack reflects a fundamental misunderstanding about the role of journalists to report on government officials and hold power to account, without fear or favor and regardless of party,” he continued. “The Post remains committed to that vital and constitutionally protected work.”
Gabbard’s post hinted at the potential nature of Nakashima’s inquiries.
“Apparently, publishing leaked classified material wasn’t enough for the Washington Post, so now they’ve decided to go after the Intelligence professionals charged to protect it,” Gabbard wrote, an apparent reference to the paper’s coverage of an early Pentagon assessment of damage to Iranian nuclear sites.
Reporting on that subject by other outlets like CNN and The New York Times drew furious complaints from many in the Trump administration, with the president baselessly threatening prosecution. Each outlet firmly supported its reporting and defended its legality.
Attacks on the press through lawsuits and the threat of them since Trump returned to The White House have been rampant.
Even the conservative-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial board condemned Trump for them, writing Wednesday—after Paramount agreed to a $16 million settlement with Trump over what many experts dubbed a meritless lawsuit—that “using the government to intimidate news outlets that publish stories he doesn’t like” was a “low move.”
Top US intelligence official criticizes Washington Post reporter
Reuters
Thu, July 3, 2025
Newspaper banner logo is seen during grand opening of Washington Post in Washington
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The top U.S. intelligence officer on Thursday leveled an unusual attack on a journalist, accusing a Washington Post reporter of "actively harassing" her staff in a social media post that also accused the media of seeking to undermine President Donald Trump's agenda.
In a post on X, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard criticized journalist Ellen Nakashima's reporting methods, saying they reflected a media establishment "desperate to sabotage POTUS's successful agenda," referring to the president of the United States.
In response, Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray said Nakashima has been "one of the most careful, fair-minded, and highly regarded reporters covering national security."
In a statement, he said Gabbard's attack reflected a misunderstanding about journalism. "Reaching out to potential sources rather than relying solely on official government press statements regarding matters of public interest is neither nefarious nor is it harassment," Murray said.
Public criticism of individual journalists by top U.S. national security officials is historically rare. But Trump has made attacks on the media a staple of his speeches and administration officials are increasingly adopting his approach to critical press coverage.
At a news conference last month, Trump's defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, also criticized the media, without evidence, for having anti-Trump bias. Hegseth's comments came at a briefing where he accused journalists of downplaying the success of strikes on Iran following a leaked preliminary assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggesting they may have only set back Iran by months.
Trump also recently demanded that CNN fire national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand for reporting about the Defense Intelligence Agency assessment.
CNN responded that it stood "100% behind" Bertrand's journalism.
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