A highly classified whistleblower complaint accusing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard of misconduct was kept from key lawmakers for months, igniting Republican and Democratic concern about oversight and statutory duties, according to government officials and public statements.

The dispute comes amid wider scrutiny of Gabbard’s role in intelligence oversight, including her recent presence during an FBI search tied to contested 2020 election claims in Georgia.

The complaint was filed in May 2025 with the Intelligence Community Inspector General, but was not delivered to the congressional “Gang of Eight” — leaders and intelligence committee heads from both parties — until this week, officials said. Intelligence community norms generally call for rapid referral of credible complaints to Congress, especially after an “urgent concern” determination.

Attorney Andrew Bakaj, representing the whistleblower, said he could not discuss specifics because the material is classified. But he told CNN that the delay lacked justification. “There’s no justification for keeping the complaint from Congress since last spring,” he said.

Bakaj gained prominence representing the intelligence official whose 2019 complaint about President Donald Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky helped trigger the first impeachment of Trump. He has also urged Congress to investigate how the current complaint was handled.

Gabbard’s office disputed claims of improper delay. Her press secretary, Olivia Coleman, cited the complaint’s sensitive nature and classified details as reasons for the extended review, and stressed that Gabbard did not appoint the inspector general who examined it. “Director Gabbard has always and will continue to support whistleblowers and their right, under the law, to submit complaints to Congress,” Coleman said in a post on X.

The intelligence community’s inspector general has released only limited information about the complaint, but a report notes that former acting Inspector General Tamara Johnson initially found that key allegations did not “appear credible.” The complaint also contains a second claim against Gabbard’s general counsel for failing to report a potential crime to the Justice Department, according to the inspector general’s memo to lawmakers.

Copies of the complaint are being hand-delivered to lawmakers this week under security protocols that limit their handling and review. Officials said that last year’s government shutdown and the complexity of the classified material contributed to delays, but lawmakers from both parties expressed frustration with the timeline.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized the protracted process and questioned how it aligns with Gabbard’s confirmation testimony. “It took the Gang of Eight six months of negotiation with the director of national intelligence to share that whistleblower complaint,” Warner said. “This is in direct contradiction to what Gabbard testified during her confirmation hearings — that she would protect whistleblowers and share the information in a timely matter.”