Latest News About Tulsi Gabbard Criminal Referral

Here’s the latest overview of Tulsi Gabbard’s criminal referral matter as of May 2026.

• What happened: Tulsi Gabbard, serving as Director of National Intelligence, has publicly referred one or more individuals tied to the 2019 Trump impeachment to the Justice Department for potential criminal investigations. The referrals were accompanied by documents she released purporting to show issues with how the whistleblower and the intelligence community watchdog handled the case. This is part of ongoing efforts to revisit elements of the Trump impeachment process.[1][3][8]

• Current status: The Department of Justice has not publicly announced opening a formal investigation in connection with these referrals. In several reports, DOJ remarks or responses have indicated that referrals are being reviewed by prosecutors to determine whether to pursue any criminal inquiry. Updates suggest this is under consideration rather than a definitive probe at this time.[2][3][8]

• Context and reactions: Gabbard has framed the referrals as part of a broader critique of the 2019 impeachment process and IC oversight, tying them to files she released on the handling of the whistleblower complaint and related 2016-2019 investigations. Republicans and some commentators view the move as a political relitigation of past events, while supporters see it as accountability for potential misconduct within the IC and Congress. Coverage across outlets highlights the political and legal sensitivities involved.[3][6][9]

• What to watch next: Key developments will include any DOJ statements about whether a full criminal probe is opened, what specific charges (if any) are considered, and whether any formal investigations are launched into individuals named in the referrals. Given the political divisor, expect continued media attention and potential procedural updates from Gabbard’s office or DOJ in the weeks ahead.[8][9]

Illustration: A simple timeline of the events would show (1) release of documents by Gabbard advocating a referral, (2) submission of criminal referrals to DOJ, (3) DOJ review and potential decision on opening an investigation. This captures the sequence from documents release to potential DOJ action.[3][8]

If you’d like, I can monitor for updates and summarize any new official statements or DOJ decisions as they’re announced, with citations to the latest sources.