US intelligence chief forms new task force to investigate intelligence community, 'boost transparency'

ISTANBUL

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday announced the creation of a special task force aimed at investigating the intelligence community to strengthen “transparency and accountability” across federal agencies.

The newly formed Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG) will carry out President Donald Trump’s executive order focused on “rebuilding trust” in the US intelligence apparatus, Gabbard’s office said in a statement.

“President Trump promised the American people maximum transparency and accountability. We are committed to executing the President’s vision,” said Gabbard, a former congresswoman and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who now leads the nation’s intelligence agencies under the Trump administration.

The DIG is tasked with overseeing operations at all 18 US intelligence agencies. Its priorities include preventing political bias, accelerating the declassification of documents in the public interest, and identifying wasteful or outdated government spending.

“We are already identifying wasteful spending in real time, streamlining outdated processes, reviewing documents for declassification, and leading ongoing efforts to root out abuses of power and politicization,” the statement read.

Among the first areas of review are documents related to the origins of COVID-19, the Crossfire Hurricane investigation into alleged ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, health incidents affecting US diplomats and personnel overseas, and federal actions taken against American citizens.