Florida – Fresh scrutiny is once again falling on Donald Trump’s administration as questions mount over how it handles some of its most politically explosive controversies.
Critics have pointed to the recent firing of Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general and a longtime Trump ally, as another move likely to deepen public distrust.
Some argue her removal was tied to the administration’s effort to contain fallout surrounding the handling of the Epstein files, while others contend she had simply failed to perform effectively in a role already burdened by intense pressure and high expectations.
Now, a new dispute is drawing even more attention to the administration’s approach toward its perceived adversaries.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has asked the Justice Department to investigate two former government officials who were central figures in Trump’s first impeachment inquiry, a step that is already fueling accusations of political retaliation.
For opponents of the president, the move fits into a broader pattern in which the administration appears increasingly willing to turn the machinery of government toward old rivals, adding another volatile chapter to an already deeply polarized political climate.
According to a spokesperson for her office, the director of national intelligence drafted criminal referrals involving a whistleblower and former Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson, though the office did not spell out what crimes, if any, it believes were committed.
Whether those referrals lead anywhere now rests with federal prosecutors.
The move came days after Gabbard escalated her criticism of Atkinson, releasing a batch of documents connected to his handling of the original whistleblower complaint.
That complaint helped set off the chain of events that led to Trump’s first impeachment.
It centered on a call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with broader concerns about how records of that conversation were managed and how Rudy Giuliani, then Trump’s personal attorney, was involved in dealings related to Ukraine.
At the heart of the complaint was a warning that went far beyond bureaucratic procedure.
“I have received information from multiple U.S. Government officials that the President of the United States is using the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the 2020 U.S. election,” the whistleblower wrote.
“This interference includes, among other things, pressuring a foreign country to investigate one of the President’s main domestic political rivals.”
That allegation exploded into a historic confrontation on Capitol Hill.
The House impeached Trump in late 2019, accusing him of abusing the powers of his office, but the Senate acquitted him in early 2020 in a vote that largely followed party lines.
Trump has never backed away from his defense, repeatedly insisting he did nothing improper and calling the Zelenskyy conversation “perfect.”
Now, years later, Gabbard is framing the matter in far more aggressive terms.
In a post on X earlier this week, she accused “deep state actors” inside the intelligence community of building “a false narrative that Congress used to usurp the will of the American people and impeach duly-elected President @realDonaldTrump in 2019.” She also argued that Atkinson relied too heavily on second-hand evidence when reviewing the whistleblower’s claims.
Newly-declassified records expose how deep state actors within the Intelligence Community concocted a false narrative that Congress used to usurp the will of the American people and impeach duly-elected President @realDonaldTrump in 2019.
Today, we reveal the truth 👇… pic.twitter.com/oLXW5nqi2n
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) April 13, 2026
Still, the documents released so far do not appear to contain direct evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
That gap has fueled criticism from Trump’s opponents, who see the referral less as a legal turning point and more as another effort to reopen old political wars.
Atkinson, who was fired by Trump in 2020, said after his dismissal that he had “faithfully discharged” his duties and served throughout his career “without regard to partisan favor or political fear.” Neither Atkinson nor the Justice Department immediately responded to requests for comment.
The referral, first reported by Fox News, fits into a broader push by Gabbard and other administration officials to revisit some of the fiercest disputes of Trump’s first presidency.
Her office has already released other files tied to earlier intelligence controversies, including material connected to the U.S. review of Russian interference in the 2016 election. In that case, too, she suggested criminal conduct without clearly identifying what laws may have been broken.
Democrats reacted sharply. Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, defended the whistleblower and warned that the real consequence of Gabbard’s action may not be a prosecution, but a message.
“This apparent criminal referral will amount to nothing because no misconduct occurred, but what it will do is chill future whistleblowers from coming forward to Congress with confidence that the law will protect them. I suspect that is precisely the point,” Himes said.
