Gabbard revokes security clearances of 37 current, former US intelligence professionals
Gabbard said in a social media statement that the action was taken at President Donald Trump's direction.
Gabbard has repeatedly alleged weaponization of the U.S. intelligence community, and last month the U.S. Department of Justice said it was forming a strike force to assess her claims.
Trump has leaped on recent comments from Gabbard in which she threatened to refer officials from the administration of Democratic former President Barack Obama to the Justice Department for prosecution over an intelligence assessment of Russian interference in U.S. elections.
Republican Trump has accused Obama, without providing evidence, of leading an effort to falsely tie him to Russia and undermine his 2016 presidential campaign. A spokesperson for Obama had denounced Trump's claims, saying, "These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction."
It was not clear if all of those on the list released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence - including a former spokesperson for Obama's National Security Council and Biden's coordinator for global COVID response - had indeed served as intelligence professionals.
An ODNI spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about the backgrounds of those whose security clearances had been revoked.
Gabbard says there was a "treasonous conspiracy" in 2016 by top Obama officials to undermine Trump, claims that Democrats called false and politically motivated. Trump won the 2016 election.
An assessment by the U.S. intelligence community published in January 2017 concluded that Russia, using social media disinformation, hacking, and Russian bot farms, sought to damage Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and bolster Trump.
The assessment determined the actual impact was likely limited and showed no evidence that Moscow's efforts changed voting outcomes. Russia has denied it attempted to interfere in U.S. elections.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Kentucky Judge shot dead in courthouse 'ran depraved sex ring', accuser claims
A woman has accused the Kentucky judge shot dead in his chambers of running a sex ring from his office, coercing girls into 'wild sex parties' in exchange for keeping them out of jail. District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was killed while in his chambers at Letcher County Circuit Court in September of 2024, allegedly at the hands Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. 'Mickey' Stines - his close friend. Since the fatal shooting, disturbing claims have emerged about Mullins - including one witness who told police he ran his chambers 'like a brothel' and was seen having sex with a 'girl' inside the office. Tya Adams - another alleged victim - has now come forward with her account, saying she first knew Judge Mullins through his former role as an assistant commonwealth's attorney. 'That's when he started introducing me to his friends,' Adams said during the exclusive interview with NewsNation. 'And we would do sex parties and perform shows and have sex with them for money, things like that.' In the interview, Adams explained that, out of fear of the powerful legal system and the threat of Child Protective Services disrupting her life, she felt powerless to say no to Mullins. 'They would make sure to make you feel as small and degraded and belittled as possible to take your power away,' Adams explained. Since the fatal shooting, disturbing allegations about Mullins (pictured) have surfaced - including one witness who told police he ran his chambers 'like a brothel' and was seen having sex with a 'girl' inside the office 'It was consensual. But it was the thing that we were so young, and then they used it against us to destroy our lives later,' she added. 'He's the one with the power; he holds my entire life in his hands. He's the one who makes the decisions over whether I get to keep my children or not. He's the one who makes the decisions on whether I go to jail.' Adams claimed that Mullins - and others connected to the court - warned her to stay silent about what was allegedly happening behind the scenes of the town's judicial system. 'That was just a given,' she said. 'And, who would believe it anyway? Because the whole town was doing it. Nobody cares. They're all swingers. It's all a big party to them. It was just normal.' Sarah Davis, a former deputy jailer at Letcher County Jail, said she never witnessed any sexual misconduct firsthand - but described the rumors she'd heard as 'nasty and sickening,' according to NewsNation. 'Pretty much everybody in the county knows,' Davis said, according to the outlet. 'But it was confirmed to me after working in the county jail, especially after being invited to a party myself,' she added. Adams' interview marks the third time a woman has come forward alleging that Mullins' alleged abuse of power extended far beyond just what happened inside his chambers. She claimed it wasn't just her - that hundreds of women, along with men and even children in trouble with the law, were sent to visit him for the same reason. 'I've had sex with him in the chambers,' she added, explaining it happened both while she was in jail and after living on the streets 'I was part of it. I was one of them.' On September 19, 2024, just steps from the courthouse, Judge Mullins and Sheriff Stines - the man accused of his murder - were seen having lunch together at an outdoor table at the popular Streetside Grill & Bar on Main Street. Just hours later, Stines entered the judge's chambers, locked the door, and allegedly fired eight bullets into Mullins during a chilling private confrontation - with both the shooting and the tense moments before captured on haunting video. Months later, audio recordings surfaced that seemed to reveal additional mounting allegations of a sex-for-favors scheme - one that stretched far beyond the courthouse, deeply entangling the small town of Whitesburg. An allegation from Sabrina Adkins, who was raped by Ben Fields - one of Stines' deputies - came to light through police audio recordings obtained by News Nation. 'I seen Judge Mullins having sex with a girl... in his office, in the judge's chambers,' Adkins said in a recording of her police interview. She can also be heard saying that former deputy sheriff Fields 'does have some videotapes of some stuff in the judge's chambers… just with girls, sexual and stuff.' Adkins alleged that the tapes captured Fields and 'some higher-ups' engaging in sexual acts inside the chambers, hinting at the possibility of additional, yet unidentified individuals involved in the sextortion scheme. In a 2022 federal lawsuit, Adkins revealed that unable to afford an ankle monitor and desperate to avoid jail, she was coerced by Fields into performing sexual favors to stay under house arrest. Stines was also accused in the lawsuit of failing to properly train and supervise former deputy Fields, who served six months in jail for coercing Adkins into sexual favors within Judge Mullins's chambers. Adkins attorney Ned Pillersdorf told NewsNation: 'It's like they (Mullins and Fields) were running a brothel out of that courtroom.' Former deputy jailer Davis recalled hearing a story from a female guard, who told her that one of the places she would take male inmates was the storage room - a locked area that required a key to access, as reported by Fox 56 News. 'A lot of times, they get taken up into the courthouse, especially after hours, late at night, when nobody's at work and nobody's up there,' Davis said. 'So it's all empty. It's all empty space.' Davis further claimed that in some cases, inmates were actually rewarded for their participation, suggesting a deeper pattern of manipulation and control within the facility. 'The smallest things, unless you're going unless you're going with one of the overheads; if they're sleeping with the guard, it's mostly for things like cigarettes, time out of cell, Pops, commissary, things like that,' Davis said. She also said that once Mullins was shot and killed, she knew everything was 'going to come out.' 'A lot of the corruption was going to come out,' Davis told News Nation. 'Because even I believe that the sheriff, he either knew something or something was going on that he knew about, that we all might not know about, but he was doing something to protect us,' she added. In her recent interview, Adams said she believes the alleged sex ring survived so long because it was protected by those in power - the very people who held authority in the court of law. 'I don't want our kids to have to grow up in this town like it has been for us, because once they get their hooks in you, they never let you go,' she told the outlet. 'You don't get to live. You don't get to choose your life. You don't choose your own path. They do that for you.' Stines ultimately admitted to the shooting but pleaded not guilty to murder, claiming it happened in the heat of passion and should be considered manslaughter at most. When Stines was taken into custody for the shooting, he allegedly exclaimed: 'They're trying to kidnap my wife and kid.' He and Mullins were longtime friends and lunchtime regulars together at the sports bar and on that fateful Thursday ordered their usual – both having the $13.99 wings with salad. Detectives have been investigating possible motives, with one theory suggesting that Stines may have discovered his daughter's phone number in Mullins' phone - allegedly after Mullins called her just moments before the shooting. Video of the shooting shows Stines pointing his weapon at Mullins as his hands are raised cowering behind his desk - but the sheriff's lawyers insist the killing was not planned. It remains unclear when Stines' murder trial will begin, as prosecutors have indicated the discovery process could take 'some time.' For now, he remains in custody without bond.
The Independent
26 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why is the future of Ukraine's Donbas region becoming a key issue in peace talks?
The future of Ukraine's industrial heartland in the east of the country is uncertain, after Vladimir Putin reportedly demanded it be handed to Russia during his meeting with Donald Trump in Alaska on Friday. Those demands will set a tense backdrop to a potential meeting between Putin and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. The latter said he was ready for a trilateral meeting with Trump and Putin, after he held a friendly meeting with the US president in the White House on Monday. 'We're going to work with Ukraine. We're going to work with everybody, and we're going to make sure that if there's peace, the peace is going to stay long term. This is very long term,' Trump said after Monday's meeting. But territorial disputes, such as Putin's demands for the Donbas, will pose a major challenge for mediators. The Russian leader demanded that Ukrainian forces withdraw from Donetsk as part of any ceasefire deal, and said he would be prepared to stop fighting on the rest of the frontline if Kyiv gave in to the demand and addressed the 'root causes of the conflict'. The Ukrainian president has said that Putin wants to take the remaining 30 per cent of the eastern region, which has been the location of some of the fiercest battles in the three-and-a-half-year war. But losing Donetsk would give Russia control of almost all of the Donbas, the collective name for Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland, which has been long coveted by Putin. Last week, Zelensky vowed that Ukraine would 'never leave' the Donbas and warned that Putin could use it as a springboard for a future invasion. However, sources close to the meeting told The Independent that the dramatic move appears to have been endorsed by Mr Trump as a means to bring an end to the war. As Kyiv fights to keep the Donbas from Trump's so-called 'land swap' deal, here's all you need to know about the region. Where is the Donbas? Situated along Ukraine's eastern border, the Donbas takes its portmanteau name from 'Donets Basin', a further abbreviation of 'Donets Coal Basin', in reference to the coal basin along the Donets Ridge and River. The Donbas stretches across the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, two large regions of Ukraine that have been on the front line of the war that followed Russia's invasion. How long has it been occupied? The Donbas has been partially occupied by Russia since 2014, around the same time that Putin annexed the Crimean peninsula. Russian-backed separatists broke away from the Ukrainian government to proclaim the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk independent 'people's republics' and, as a result, Moscow captured more than a third of Ukraine's eastern territory. Russia classes inhabitants of the Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, the Luhansk People's Republic, the Donetsk People's Republic, and the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as subjects of the Russian Federation. Ukraine insists these territories are part of Ukraine. It is believed that around 88 per cent of the Donbas is under Russian control. This includes almost all of the Luhansk region and 75 per cent of the Donetsk region, according to Reuters. Approximately 6,600 sq km is still controlled by Ukraine, but Russia has been focusing most of its energy along the front in Donetsk, pushing towards the last remaining major cities such as Pokrovsk. A key strategic region in the war The hyper-industrialised Donbas economy is dominated by coal mining and metallurgy. The region has one of the largest coal reserves in Ukraine. When conflict broke out in 2014, Ukraine's coal-mining enterprises saw a 22.4 per cent decline in the production of raw coal compared with 2013, according to the Kyiv Post, showing the country's reliance on Donbas as an energy powerhouse. But as well as its economic significance, Donbas has been described as a 'fortress belt' by the Institute for the Study of War in terms of its strategic value. Donetsk forms the main fortified defensive line across the front line, stretching through Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkivka, and Kostiantynivka. 'Ukraine is holding a key defensive line across Donetsk,' says Elina Beketova, a fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, describing a 'fortified zone buildup over years because the war began 11 years ago'. She adds that Russia hasn't been able to break through since 2014, and has lost many people there. The entire region is heavily mined, and Ukrainian troops have been preparing it for years. 'It's not just trenches, it's a deep, layered defence with bunkers, anti-tank ditches, minefields, and industrial areas built into the terrain. The area includes dominant heights, rivers, and urban zones that make it extremely hard to capture,' explains Beketova. She says that losing this fortified line would have 'catastrophic consequences' for Ukraine, as it holds back Russia's advancement into central and western parts of the country. 'The front would shift approximately 80km west, and Russia would gain open ground – flat steppe with no natural barriers – giving it a direct path towards Kharkiv, Poltava, and Dnipro.' What Zelensky has said about the Donbas Zelensky has repeatedly rejected calls from Russia to give up the Donbas. In response to Putin's request that Ukraine withdraw from eastern Donetsk, Zelensky vowed that his people would 'never leave' the Donbas, and warned that Putin's troops could use it as a springboard for a future invasion. 'We will not leave Donbas. We cannot do this. Everyone forgets the first part – our territories are illegally occupied. Donbas for the Russians is a springboard for a future new offensive,' he said.
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Makeup artist to the stars Travis Renee Baldwin tragically shot dead by own son in DC area home
A beloved hair and makeup artist to the stars was tragically shot dead by her own son in their Washington DC-area home. Renee Baldwin, 57, was tragically killed inside her Arlington, Virginia apartment before 8.30am on Sunday, according to Fox DC. Baldwin's 27-year-old son Logan Chrisinger has been charged with first degree murder, aggravated malicious wounding, and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. The industry stalwart has been remembered by her devastated colleagues at Newsmax as a 'gypsy spirit.' Former Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren was among those to pay tribute to Baldwin on Tuesday. 'What a sadness… my Newsmax make up artist of 3.5 years, and years at @ABC @ESPN etc and a friend to all her colleagues… was murdered over the weekend,' Van Susteren wrote on X. '[S]he did my make up Friday for the show and of course I never dreamed that would be the last time I would see her.' Daily Caller editor Amber Duke also weighed in, writing: 'Renee did my makeup at Newsmax for the past 1.5 years and sometimes did fill-in shifts at Rising. The news of her murder was such a shock. 'She was a kind, generous, funny woman who always brightened the day of anyone who sat in her chair. 'Fridays at Newsmax were something I looked forward to because I knew we'd get to gossip, talk about our upcoming travel plans, our pets, and any good wines we were drinking. She will be dearly missed.' Newsmax White House producer Marisela Ramirez said Baldwin would play with clients hair as she encouraged them to open up, reminiscing on her ability to treat people 'with the gentleness of a mother.' 'Renee had a giving heart and a gypsy spirit but really she was a quiet warrior, supporting her family and carrying the weight of a household on her shoulders — without complaints.' Baldwin's colleagues have paid tribute to her in moving posts since learning of her tragic death Amber Duke also weighed in, sharing a picture of her and Baldwin together (pictured) and writing: 'Renee did my makeup at Newsmax for the past 1.5 years and sometimes did fill-in shifts at Rising. The news of her murder was such a shock' Virginia Allen, the co-host of podcast Problematic Women, wrote: 'Absolutely heartbreaking. Renee was honest, loving, and so talented. Newsmax will never feel the same without her.' Another tribute noted she would often 'talk about her son.' Chrisinger remained at the scene of the crime after allegedly shooting his mom dead, and is being held without bond at Arlington County Detention Facility.
