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By Dan Gooding and Gabe Whisnant
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A highly classified whistleblower complaint against Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stems from an intercepted conversation between two foreign nationals that referenced President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner and, in part, Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
The intercept, collected by a foreign intelligence service and shared with the United States, became a flashpoint inside the intelligence community after questions arose over how widely the report was distributed. The whistleblower alleged that Gabbard limited access to the intelligence and delayed broader dissemination within spy agencies and to Congress.
Newsweek reached out to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) for comment via email on Thursday.
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Why It Matters
News of the complaint and its apparent stagnant status due to national security concerns raised further concerns that Gabbard had been blocking a thorough investigation into whatever claims were in the document. If Kushner was the person at the center of the complaint, this could lead to even greater scrutiny after the ODNI's Inspector General and lawmakers said the report had been dismissed.
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What To Know
Senior administration officials told The Wall Street Journal that allegations discussed in the intercept were unverified and, in some cases, demonstrably false, while others familiar with the material said the reference to Kushner intensified scrutiny because of his role in sensitive diplomatic efforts.
The whistleblower complaint, submitted in May 2025, claimed the National Security Agency detected a phone conversation between foreign intelligence officials and a person linked to Trump. Instead of allowing the NSA to distribute its intelligence report, Gabbard allegedly brought a paper copy of the report to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and directed the NSA to transmit the details to her office, rather than publishing it, it was reported earlier this month.
At the time, the ODNI insisted that Gabbard had always supported whistleblowers and their right to submit complaints to Congress "even if they are completely baseless like this one," a spokesperson said on X. After this, members of Congress were given access to a heavily redacted version of the report.
Now, according to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, new details show the person about whom concerns were raised was Kushner, who was mentioned by two foreign nationals speaking about Iran, in a conversation the NSA intercepted.
Officials familiar with the matter told the outlets that there was confusion over whether Gabbard had sought to keep mentions of the president's son-in-law confidential, therefore limiting who could see the complaint.
Kushner's name was originally redacted in the NSA report, officials said, but the whistleblower and others identified him as the subject of discussion among the two foreign nationals, who, in part, were exchanging gossip or speculation about him.
At the time, Kushner had been involved in Middle East peace talks, despite having no official role in the Trump administration, while also having business interests in the region. This has repeatedly caused concerns over potential conflicts of interest across both of Trump's terms.
What People Are Saying
Campaign group Citizens for Ethics said Wednesday on X: "Jared Kushner is a private citizen who has billions in investments from foreign governments. He has no formal role in the Trump administration and is not subject to any ethics rules. So WHY is he meeting with Israel’s president alongside Pres. Trump and two cabinet secretaries?"
Republican Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, on X February 5: "I have reviewed this 'whistleblower' complaint and the inspector general handling of it. I agree with both inspectors general who have evaluated the matter: the complaint is not credible and the inspectors general and the DNI took the necessary steps to ensure the material has handled and transmitted appropriately in accordance with law. To be frank, it seems like just another effort by the president’s critics in and out of government to undermine policies that they don’t like; it’s definitely not credible allegations of waste, fraud, or abuse."
What Happens Next
It was not immediately clear whether further action would be taken on the report, following the latest update, but the attorney for the whistleblower wrote to Gabbard on Wednesday, urging her to share the full complaint with Congress.
Update 2/12/26, 5:31 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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