New Delhi:

Over 100 US intelligence officers have been fired for engaging in sexually explicit discussions on a government-run chat platform, Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, announced Tuesday. The officers from 15 agencies would also have their security clearances revoked, she told Fox News.

The chat platform, managed by the National Security Agency (NSA), was meant for classified discussions but was misused for explicit conversations, including discussions on gender transition surgery, according to intelligence officials.

The existence of these chats was first disclosed by conservative activist Christopher Rufo in ‘City Journal’. Following the revelation, Ms Gabbard issued a directive to remove those involved, calling their actions an “egregious violation of trust” and a breach of professional standards.

“This is just the beginning of what we are seeing across the Trump administration,” Ms Gabbard said, as per The NY Times. She said they had to “clean house, root out that rot and corruption, and weaponisation and politicisation”, so they could start to “rebuild that trust” in these institutions.

A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Alexa Henning, confirmed on X that a memo was sent to all intelligence agencies, requiring them to identify employees who participated in these chats by Friday.

The NSA acknowledged the controversy, saying that investigations were ongoing to address the “misuse of government systems.” The agency clarified that the actions of a small group do not reflect the entire intelligence community.

Apart from the firings, Ms Gabbard’s office and the CIA have also moved to dismiss employees who worked on diversity initiatives under the Biden administration. A federal judge has temporarily paused this action, with a ruling expected Thursday. Unlike the explicit chat case, no wrongdoing has been alleged against those working in diversity programmes, and some have filed lawsuits seeking reassignment to other positions.

Ms Gabbard said officers have started coming forward with reports of further misconduct, reinforcing her commitment to “refocus on the core mission of serving the American people.”

As Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard oversees 18 intelligence agencies with a budget of $100 billion, advising President Trump on national security matters. She previously served as a Representative from Hawaii (2013-2021) and was deployed to Iraq and Kuwait with the Hawaii Army National Guard.