Intercepted foreign spy call referenced Trump associate, whistleblower lawyer says

According to attorney Andrew Bakaj, details of the intercepted call were shared with U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. Instead of following standard procedures for distributing intelligence within the intelligence community, Bakaj said, Gabbard passed a paper copy of the materials directly to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.

Bakaj said that on the following day Gabbard ordered the National Security Agency not to distribute the intelligence further and instructed that all related materials be routed directly to her office.

Bakaj initially said the intercepted conversation took place between a foreign intelligence officer and a person close to Trump. After publication, he clarified that the NSA intercepted a call between two foreign intelligence officers in which a person close to Trump’s White House was mentioned. Sources said that individual is not a U.S. administration official and does not hold special government employee status.

The NSA does not, according to Bakaj, conduct interceptions without legal grounds and noted that he regularly advises members of the intelligence community on legal matters. He previously worked in the CIA inspector general’s office.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence told The Guardian that the reported information was false, saying all of Gabbard’s actions fell within her lawful authority and describing the publication as a politically motivated attempt to manipulate classified information.

Gabbard has previously publicly rejected media reports about U.S. intelligence assessments of the goals of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in the war against Ukraine, including conclusions that Russia seeks to seize all of Ukraine and restore influence over parts of Europe.