Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard retracted an intelligence report on Tuesday because it may have "improperly" identified a Trump administration official, according to a new report.
The report Gabbard withdrew detailed work performed by Richard Grenell in Venezuela, The New York Times reported. Grenell was a top intelligence official in the first Trump administration and currently leads the Kennedy Center.
The Times reported that the document included information about Grenell's conversations and negotiations with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, citing "people briefed on the document."
"Multiple people briefed on the matter insisted the report was recalled because it did not adequately hide Mr. Grenell’s identity, describing him as the presidential envoy to Venezuela," according to the Times. "Ms. Gabbard has asked intelligence agencies to take special care with reports that either directly identify Trump administration officials or are written in ways that could easily identify them."
Gabbard previously caused a stir after she released the name of an undercover spy in an effort to announce that DNI had revoked security clearances for several people who worked on Trump's impeachment trials and the investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.
"News of the recall came amid a debate over the Trump administration’s policy toward the country," according to the report. "Mr. Grenell, who serves as an envoy to Venezuela, has advocated negotiations with its authoritarian government, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pushed for a more hard-line approach."
"But other officials said the recall of the report had little to do with competing camps in the Trump administration and was more about improperly identifying a senior official in an intelligence document," it added.
