- The Director of National Intelligence is reasserting control over the daily briefing
A high-stakes power struggle sprang up inside the U.S. intelligence community as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard moved to wrest control of President Donald Trump’s daily intelligence briefing from the CIA, the Daily Mail has learned.
With the Iran and Israel war in full swing, the Russia-Ukraine war still churning and Chinese military forces training at an accelerated pace, whoever controls the distribution of the nation’s most classified intelligence has the upper hand in shaping the decision-making process in whether to wage war.
Last month, Gabbard ruffled feathers by threatening the CIA’s influence after reasserting the ODNI’s authority over the president’s daily briefing (PDB), a role long dominated by the CIA.
‘She’s trying to move, physically move and take control of the President’s daily brief,’ one senior intelligence official told the Daily Mail.
Despite the intelligence director taking over responsibility for the PDB in 2004, the CIA maintained the internal systems capable of creating the intelligence reports, which often contain much of the agency’s classified information distilled into digestible memos.
But Gabbard’s attempt to shift production and delivery of the PDB from CIA headquarters in Langley to her own office has rattled the traditional power structure.
‘Obviously, that controls what the president sees,’ the source said.
‘So she’s, I would say, probably caused a lot of ripples within the CIA, especially within the DA, the Director of Analysis, by saying, “Hey, I’m going to take the PDB physically from Langley and move it down the street to the ODNI,”‘ the source said.
Ratcliffe, the CIA director, is not necessarily thought to be grappling for the president’s attention, the official confirmed. But others at Langley have been miffed by the recent move.
‘Of course, the CIA is unhappy because they want to keep control of the product,’ one ODNI official told the Daily Mail. ‘Their phrase at the CIA is “Whoever controls the information the President sees, controls the President.”’
‘By housing the PDB staff under the ODNI, the production process aligns more closely with the ODNI’s mission to integrate foreign, military, and domestic intelligence,’ the official continued. ‘This will yield a more cohesive and holistic intelligence product that reflects contributions from all IC agencies, reducing the risk of CIA dominance in the PDB’s content.’
The CIA did not return the Daily Mail’s request for comment.
‘There are a lot of folks at the agency, in particular, the Directorate of Analysis, they’re used to being the final say,’ the senior intelligence official shared. ‘They’re not used to someone saying, “Hey, I’m gonna ask you some questions about this.”‘
Presidents have received regular morning briefings – comprised of intelligence on the most pressing national security issues – since Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s. Compiling intelligence reports has traditionally fallen to the CIA, specifically its Directorate for Analysis.
Though in 2004 the Intelligence Reform Act created the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which then began overseeing the PDB.
The ODNI has publicly confirmed last month that some functions located at the CIA will now be moved to the ODNI, including the staff who oversee the PDB.
Gabbard is responsible for overseeing all 18 federal intelligence agencies, including the CIA, though its Director John Ratcliffe is also a Cabinet member, creating a natural tension between the two agencies and its staff.
While the war in Iran and Israel moves into its second week without any indication of a ceasefire, sources familiar with the DNI have shared that Gabbard is in nearly constant contact with the president on intelligence matters.
‘She’s been in every meeting,’ a White House official told the Daily Mail. The official added Gabbard has been spotted at the White House nearly every day since the start of the conflict.
CIA Director Ratcliffe has also reportedly been one of the key figures advising Trump on the war while suggesting the DNI has taken a back seat.
Reports of internal jockeying within the administration come just as the president is at what is perhaps the most tenuous point of his second term.
‘I think those are coming from people who either like drama for the sake of drama, or they’re trying to give the CIA more power,’ the official shared. ‘I think people are trying to play the palace intrigue game,’ he added. ‘It’s a power play.’
