It was a major document release this week: the files that were not given to President Trump’s lawyers during the 2019 impeachment effort were revealed by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. One could argue that the documents, which were hidden until now, were textbook exculpatory evidence. The Ukraine whistleblower, who sparked the quid pro quo controversy, had no evidence to back his claims, admitted to working closely with then-Vice President Joe Biden, was a registered Democrat, and his allegations were based on poor spycraft.
Even his colleagues acknowledged this was a weak complaint, and one of them contributed to the similarly flawed, Obama-ordered 2017 Intelligence Community Estimate, which endorsed the collusion hoax. Gabbard sent a criminal referral for the whistleblower, Eric Ciaramella, yesterday (via Fox News):
BREAKING: DNI Tulsi Gabbard has just sent CRIMINAL REFERRALS to the DOJ for the “whistleblower” who lied and sparked President Trump’s 2019 impeachment, per Fox’s @BrookeSingman
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) April 15, 2026
Time to see some DEEP STATE ARRESTS! 🔥
She also sent a referral for the ex-intelligence community… pic.twitter.com/fVHv2Ue2Y8
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department for the whistleblower whose complaint helped trigger President Donald Trump’s 2019 impeachment and for the former intelligence community inspector general who notified Congress of the allegations, Fox News Digital has learned.
"I want to refer information that may constitute possible criminal activity in violation of federal criminal law committed by one or more former employees of the intelligence community," ODNI's general counsel wrote in the referral to the Justice Department.
Fox News Digital on Wednesday reviewed the referrals ODNI sent to the Justice Department.
"The possible criminal activity concerns the circumstances described in the following congressional briefings: Discussion with Intelligence Community Inspector General, House Permanent Select Comm. on Intel., 116th Cong. (2019); Briefing by the Intelligence Community Inspector General, House Permanent Select Comm. on Intel., 116th Cong. (2019)," it continued.
The referrals come after DNI Tulsi Gabbard released documents earlier this week exposing what was described as a "coordinated effort" by elements within the intelligence community—including then-Inspector General Michael Atkinson, to "manufacture a conspiracy" that was used as the basis to impeach Trump in 2019.
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Gabbard spoke at length about these referrals with NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich on Wednesday night:
"It is always the right time to expose the truth to the American people."
— Katie Pavlich Tonight (@KatiePavlichNN) April 16, 2026
WATCH: @DNIGabbard's full EXCLUSIVE interview with @KatiePavlich after exposing the conspiracy to impeach President Trump in 2019. pic.twitter.com/JZahCvBOCr
Lock ‘em up. Someone must go to jail over this. This wasn’t some lost paperwork; it was a deliberate attempt to unseat a duly elected president. It was a coup. For all their smarts and resources, the Deep State has continuously failed to usurp Trump.
DNI @TulsiGabbard makes a criminal referral to the DoJ against the Fake Ukraine Impeachment “whistleblower”, CIA operative Eric Ciaramella, and the former Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Michael Atkinson. pic.twitter.com/FajzAy47yi
— Svetlana Lokhova (@RealSLokhova) April 16, 2026
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Editor's Note: The original post incorrectly said that the former IC inspector general, Michael Atkinson, was also issued a referral. That was incorrect, and we regret the error. The post has been updated.
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