Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard reportedly retracted intelligence on the Trump administration’s dealings with the Venezuelan government.
Special envoy Richard Grenell was listed as a subject in the memo, which detailed in depth conversations with his counterparts overseas, according to The New York Times.
Grenell, who also oversees the Kennedy Center, reportedly negotiated with top officials in the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in an effort to secure benefits for American energy companies, The Time reported.
“The report is accurate and in accordance with all [National Security Agency (NSA)] policy, directives and guidance; however, the D.N.I. directed N.S.A. to recall the report,” the recall notice said, according to the outlet.
The Times said the report was ultimately retracted to protect Grenell, which is frequently done to preserve the identity of Americans in intelligence reports.
Grenell’s conversations, documented by the spy agency, were steered toward formulating an agreement that would have boosted Chevron’s oil operations in Venezuela, which in part serves as a large funding source for the government, per the Times. The agreement would have been in exchange for hostages.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly opposed the deal and opted for a militaristic approach to the Maduro regime.
The White House did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.
DNI deputy chief of staff Alexa Henning told The Hill’s sister station NewsNation that the retraction “has nothing to do with the contents and is about the unmasking of Americans, and protection of civil liberties, something the previous administration abused and used as a political tool.”
“Making administrative edits to existing reports is an extremely commat against on practice,” a senior administration official with the NSA told The Hill. “This report is still available to the intelligence community – calling it a ‘retraction’ is sensationalism.”
The reported retraction comes as the U.S. has increased its presence in the Caribbean, turning up the heat against drug cartels in the region. Maduro described the deployment of several U.S. ships, a submarine and Marines as “an extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal and bloody threat.”
