Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard takes decisive action against a controversial domestic terrorism policy implemented during Biden's administration.
According to Just the News, Gabbard has terminated a June 2021 policy memo that allowed federal agencies to investigate Americans for "concerning non-criminal behavior," calling it an abuse of power that targeted conservatives and citizens with dissenting views.
The recently declassified memo reveals that under Biden's administration, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security were granted authority to surveil and question Americans without the traditional requirement of establishing a reasonable factual basis for criminal activity.
This significant departure from long-standing investigative protocols has drawn criticism from legal experts and members of Congress who argue it endangered civil liberties.
The 2021 National Security Council directives instructed agencies to pursue various initiatives, including legislative action to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. The policy also focused on monitoring active-duty service members for potential terrorism recruitment and addressing what they termed "xenophobic disinformation."
The controversial program included the creation of the Disinformation Governance Board under DHS, which was discontinued in 2022 after facing widespread criticism. Nina Jankowicz, who was selected to lead the board, faced significant public backlash before the program's termination.
FBI officials have acknowledged the shift in priorities under new leadership. A Bureau spokesperson stated:
The last administration appeared more focused on investigating Americans for their opinions than addressing actual criminal activity. Under new leadership, the Bureau is actively reviewing and revising its guidance to ensure our efforts are focused where they belong: on making America safe.
Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, expressed support for Gabbard's decision to declassify and terminate the policy. He emphasized the importance of transparency in government operations affecting constitutional rights.
Gabbard's statement outlined her perspective on the previous administration's approach:
Disguised as an attempt to curb 'domestic terrorism,' Biden's plan actually functioned as a partisan playbook on how the Biden Administration would weaponize government and intelligence against everyday Americans whose 'offense' was supporting President Trump, or daring to disagree with or oppose their policies. To ensure transparency and accountability, I declassified and released the document, so Americans could see the truth about the Biden Administration's weaponization and politicization of our government against Americans.
The Trump administration has moved away from the controversial tactics outlined in the 2021 memo. Domestic terrorism has been removed as a top threat from the intelligence community's national threat assessment, marking a significant shift in national security priorities.
The previous investigative standard required agents to establish "an articulable factual basis" indicating a crime or national security threat before opening an investigation. The Biden-era memo had substantially lowered this threshold, allowing probes based solely on agent concerns without evidence of criminal activity.
Tulsi Gabbard, as Director of National Intelligence, has taken steps to restore traditional investigative standards that require concrete evidence of criminal activity before launching federal investigations. The declassification of the 2021 memo has brought to light the extent of surveillance powers granted to federal agencies during Biden's presidency.
The policy reversal reflects the current administration's commitment to balancing national security concerns with civil liberties protections. This change signals a return to established investigative protocols that require substantial evidence before initiating probes into American citizens while maintaining focus on genuine security threats.
