Sometimes a reporter has to go the extra mile for a news story. Still, there must be some ethical lines, and Washington Post national security reporter Ellen Nakashima sure seems to have crossed a few (again).
At least, that is what Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is accusing Nakashima and the Post of in a blistering statement she made on X yesterday, in which she outlined many of the underhanded tactics Nakashima is using to try to get ODNI officers to leak sensitive material to her.
It has come to my attention that Washington Post reporter @nakashimae appears to be actively harassing ODNI staff. 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…
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) July 3, 2025
Gabbard's full statement is below:
It has come to my attention that Washington Post reporter @nakashimae appears to be actively harassing ODNI staff. 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.
This is a clear political op by the same outlet and the same reporter who harassed and stalked my family in Hawaii.
This kind of deranged behavior reflects a media establishment so desperate to sabotage @POTUS’s successful agenda that they’ve abandoned even a facade of journalistic integrity and ethics. The Washington Post should be ashamed, and they should put an end to this immediately.
The Post released a statement standing by their reporter, but Nakashima herself has not responded to any of these allegations. If true, Gabbard's final paragraph in her post seems to be pretty accurate.
Even without these shady tactics of burner phones, lying, and anonymous contact, what Gabbard said in her final paragraph has kind of become obvious to everyone over the past 10 years.
General Mike Flynn suggested some immediate consequences for Nakashima and everyone at her newspaper.
The WAPO should be shut down. Take any and all taxpayer funds from them and all of their reporters. Do not allow them entrance to any USG facility without an escort. Do not allow anyone in the entire USIC to take any of their questions or to do any interviews with them. There’s…
— General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) July 3, 2025
His post concludes, 'There’s more, but for now that’s enough.'
Arrest the far left deranged lunatic. Nobody is above the law including @nakashimae. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/5iWS1vPxRD
— Savannah (@BasedSavannah) July 3, 2025
To be clear, Gabbard did not accuse Nakashima of anything illegal, strictly speaking, just unethical and politically motivated.
Nor did she threaten to have her arrested.
But shutting off all access to ODNI from the Post seems like the sensible next step.
I’d have to imagine that @nakashimae needs to be taken off the @DNIGabbard beat
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) July 3, 2025
Going around a press office is standard journalism — I do it all the time! — but lying about your identity and workplace and using burner phones is the stuff of a drug dealer, not a reporter https://t.co/x3hfinkAXJ
It is also the stuff of a political hack, not a reporter. Nakashima definitely fits that bill, given her history.
In many ways, Ellen Nakashima was patient zero of media collusion in promoting the fraudulent Russia collusion narrative. On June 14, 2016, she was the first to declare that Russia had hacked the DNC, despite there being no evidence to support the claim. Her early promotion of… https://t.co/gvbLbhoJbr
— Hans Mahncke (@HansMahncke) July 3, 2025
Her early promotion of this narrative reveals that government operatives were involved in Russiagate far earlier than is commonly acknowledged.
Yet, while anyone connected to Trump faced relentless scrutiny—subpoenas, surveillance, FOIAs, even financial ruin—Nakashima’s role and her coordination with intelligence officials have never been investigated, much less resulted in any accountability.
Not only has Nakashima not faced any accountability for that, but she won a Pulitzer for her lies in 2018.
Then she won another one in 2022 for lying about the 'insurrection' on January 6.
Finally, Ellen Nakashima getting called out. This is beautiful. https://t.co/7dVFmOXuPw
— The_War_Economy (@The_War_Economy) July 3, 2025
She's been a bad actor in the press for many years, and Gabbard is done with letting her get away with it.
This is unethical, @washingtonpost.
— Bree A Dail (@breeadail) July 3, 2025
It also undermines transparency, as it may lead @DNIGabbard towards refusing to engage with the press.
Stop it, @nakashimae. https://t.co/paRHOF7FFH pic.twitter.com/2hQCH0nsmD
This is the willful destruction of journalism & as journalists we should stand together agst these tactics. https://t.co/FaEPvTwVkQ
— Lara Logan (@laralogan) July 4, 2025
Not surprisingly, many independent or conservative reporters -- like Logan, Dail, and Foldi, whom we've mentioned here -- decried Nakashima's tactics.
Also, not surprisingly, no reporters on the left in the legacy media have done the same.
Here she is, look at her eyes. They all have the same crazy eyes. pic.twitter.com/GtJudJWvXf
— Deborah Marie (@marie_ide80526) July 3, 2025
@JeffBezos come get your deranged girl
— Mike (@ChitownMike312) July 3, 2025
Ellen is a tool of the deep state. She should be thoroughly investigated for her role in covering up Hunter Biden’s laptop before the 2020 election. You can tell she was in on the cover-up which was organized and strategized by the Aspen Institute via table top exercises. https://t.co/DZjByrk8ez
— The Researcher (@listen_2learn) July 3, 2025
In no world is a reporter using a burner phone and not identifying themselves ethical journalism. @wapo is a disgrace.
— CindyHoedel (@CindyHoedel) July 3, 2025
We've known that last part for a long time. But it's good to see the legacy media getting exposed directly by officials in the Trump 2.0 administration.
We also have to believe that Gabbard's post was not just a shot at Nakashima.
It was almost certainly a warning to any ODNI officers under her as well, not to mention weasels in other departments of the government.
If they try to undermine these agencies or the administration with unlawful leaks from within, Tulsi Gabbard and the ODNI will find them, burner phone or no burner phone.
That's got to be causing a lot of sphincters to tighten, which is great.
As for The Washington Post, no one will complain if Gabbard, Trump, and the entire administration cut them off completely.
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