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Gabbard rips into WaPo reporter for harassing intel officials, her family

Gabbard rips into WaPo reporter for harassing intel officials, her family

India Today13 hours ago
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has slammed a Washington Post (WaPo) reporter for "actively harassing" her staff and also accused the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter of hounding and stalking her family members.In a post on X, Gabbard took issue with journalist Ellen Nakashima's reporting approach."It has come to my attention that Washington Post reporter (Ellen Nakashima) appears to be actively harassing ODNI staff," she posted on social media on Thursday (US time), referring to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).advertisement
She accused the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter of not disclosing her identity and seeking sensitive information from intelligence officials."Instead of reaching out to my press office, she is calling high-level Intelligence Officers from a burner phone, refusing to identify herself, lying about the fact that she works for the Washington Post, and then demanding they share sensitive information.""Apparently, publishing leaked classified material wasn't enough for the Washington Post, so now they've decided to go after the Intelligence professionals charged to protect it (sic)," she added.THE SAME REPORTER WHO HARASSED AND STALKED MY FAMILY: GABBARDGabbard also alleged that Nakashima and her news outlet had been harassing her family in Hawaii."This is a clear political op by the same outlet and the same reporter who harassed and stalked my family in Hawaii," the US spy chief accused.Gabbard also accused the Washington Post of abandoning journalistic ethics in a bid to undermine Trump's agenda."This kind of deranged behaviour reflects a media establishment so desperate to sabotage POTUS's successful agenda that they've abandoned even a facade of journalistic integrity and ethics," she said."The Washington Post should be ashamed, and they should put an end to this immediately," she concluded.WASHINGTON POST REJECTS CHARGESIn response, Washington Post Executive Editor Matt Murray said Nakashima is widely respected as one of the most diligent and fair-minded national security reporters."For three decades, Ellen Nakashima has been one of the most careful, fair-minded, and highly regarded reporters covering national security," Murray said in a statement."Reaching out to potential sources rather than relying solely on official government press statements regarding matters of public interest is neither nefarious nor is it harassment. It is basic journalism," Murray added.WHO IS ELLEN NAKASHIMA?Ellen Nakashima has worked at the Washington Post since 1995 and has contributed to several Pulitzer Prize-winning teams for her reporting on the January 6 Capitol attack, Russian interference in the 2016 election, and the NSA's surveillance programs, according to her online biography on the Washington Post.She has been a White House correspondent, Southeast Asia bureau chief, and co-authored a biography of former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore.- Ends
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