The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | February 26th, 2025: Tulsi Gabbard Purges Intel Officers Over Explicit Chat Scandal & US And Ukraine Agree To Mineral-Rights Deal

Episode Date: February 26, 2025

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:   First, a major shakeup in U.S. intelligence, as Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard fires more than 100 intelligence officers for using a sensitive NSA messaging platform to engage in sexually explicit discussions. Later in the show, after several weeks of tense negotiations, Ukraine has struck an agreement with the Trump administration to grant the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rich mineral resources. The deal could be finalized as soon as Friday, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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During the show, after several weeks of tense negotiation, Ukraine has struck an agreement with the Trump administration to grant the U.S. access to Ukraine's rich mineral resources. The deal could be finalized as soon as Friday when Ukrainian President Zelensky is expected to meet with President Trump at the White House. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Director of National Intelligence, or DNI Tulsi Gabbard, is moving quickly to remove more than 100 staffers from the ranks of America's intelligence agencies after discovering activity that she described as a, quote, egregious violation of trust. On Tuesday, Gabbard issued an order to fire more than 100 intelligence officers from 15 agencies for engaging in sexually explicit discussions on an NSA messaging

platform meant for sharing sensitive security matters. The chats, first disclosed publicly by a conservative activist and writer Christopher Rufel, included X-rated disarrated, discussions on sexual fetishes, gender transition surgeries, artificial genitalia, what, hormone therapy, polyamory, and pronoun usage. That's according to a report from Fox News. Well, DNI spokesperson Alexa Henning said Tuesday that a memo had been sent out to all intelligence agencies to identify by Friday any employees who participated in the quote, obscene, pornographic, and sexually explicit chats. All those who took part will be terminated from their positions and have their security

clearances revoked. Look at that. Consequences for bad actions. In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Gabbard said, quote, there are over 100 people from across the intelligence community that contributed to and participated in what is really just an egregious violation of trust. They were brazen in using an NSA platform intended for professional use to conduct this kind of really, really horrific behavior. And they were brazen in doing this, she said, because when was the last time that anyone was really held accountable? End quote, well, she's not wrong there. The NSA Intel Lake messaging platform also became a forum for bashing the new DNI, with employees sending messages accusing Gabbert of being, quote, fervently anti-queer, a quote, Russian agent and a member of the,

quote, maga cult. Gabbard said the explicit chats violated the basic rules and standards of workplace professionalism, really, and that the firings were necessary to, quote, clean house, root out that rotten corruption and weaponization and politicization so we can start to rebuild that trust in these institutions. The employees represented a wide array of U.S. intelligence agencies, including the Defense Intelligence Agency, U.S. Naval Intelligence, the NSA, United States Space Command, and even the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The revelations come amid Gabbard's broader effort to purge diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives from the intelligence community. Her office, in concert with the Central Intelligence Agency,

has already moved to fire an undisclosed number of employees that worked on these diversity initiatives, though those terminations were paused by a federal judge who was reviewing the action and expected to make a final ruling on Thursday. According to sources who spoke with the Conservative Manhattan Institute, the sexually explicit chats were given legitimacy as part of the NSA's DEI efforts, which the agency had previously called, quote, mission critical. I'm sorry, I tried to say that with a straight face. Seriously, look, having worked in intelligence operations around the world for a couple decades, I can tell you that there is absolutely nothing mission-critical about DEI efforts. The chat logs came from two DEI-focused groups within the NSA's IntelLink Messenger,

titled, quote, LBTQA and, quote, I see Pride, TWG. Now, while the groups were, in theory, meant as DEI-focused employee resource groups, the sources said they were hijacked by intelligence employees who spent all day holding media, with titles like privilege or ally awareness and transgender community inclusion. Yeah, yeah, definitely mission critical to U.S. national security. Gabbard commented that these firings only scratched the surface of what she called the DEI insanity that became pervasive in the intel community under former President Biden. She said that since the memo went out, numerous intel officers have come forward to disclose other

inappropriate activity. Gabbert stated, quote, people are stepping forward because they are all on board with the mission to clean house and refocus on our core mission of serving the American people, end quote. Now look, even as I speak, I guarantee that Chinese and Russian intel are working to identify the individuals who are involved in these chat groups if they don't already know them already, because the bigger issue here is the counterintelligence threat that they pose to U.S. national security. Look, Intel officers spend their careers looking for potential recruitment targets who are disaffected or angry or angst-ridden, disturbed or disgruntled, which is why Intel organizations are supposed to spend significant time and resource vetting any potential hire and looking for

any indications that they may have issues, such as, I don't know, ending up on an NSA chat group belittling their organizations or leaders. All right, up next. After several weeks of tense negotiations, Ukraine has struck an agreement with the Trump administration to grant the U.S. access to Ukraine's rich mineral resources. I'll be right back. Wireless can feel like a world of traps, but not with visible. It's one-line wireless with unlimited data and hotspot, powered by Verizon for $25 a month, taxes and fees included. Plus, for a limited time, new members pay, just $20 a month for one year on the visible plan using the code fresh start. Refresh your wireless with visible. Tap the banner to switch today. Terms apply, limited time offer subject to change.

See visible.com for plan features and network management details. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usaa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Well, it looks like President Trump has finally gotten his mineral rights deal with Ukraine, securing access to the country's vast mineral wealth in a move that could reshape Kiev's relations with Washington. The agreement, set to be finalized as early as

Friday during a White House meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky, follows weeks of standoff over the terms of a deal. The Trump administration initially demanded up to $500 billion in potential revenue from the development of Ukraine's vast mineral resources. And that was an ask that sparked pushback in outrage in Kiev and across Europe. Trump told reporters Tuesday, quote, it's a very big deal. It could be a trillion-dollar deal, adding that the U.S. has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on Ukraine's war effort. For Zelensky, the deal represents a diplomatic breakthrough.

Despite Keem's desperate push for a face-to-face meeting with Trump, the White House had kept Ukraine at arm's length, while engaging in direct talks with Moscow over a possible settlement to the war. Zeletsky's refusal to sign an earlier version of the agreement, crafted by Treasury Secretary Scott Besson, only deep intentions. The Ukrainian leader, who has long supported Western access to Ukraine's critical mineral reserves, balked at the original deal's lack of security guarantees. At the time, Zelensky also voiced concerns

over the scale of U.S. financial demands, which far exceeded the total U.S. aid package provided to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion back in 2022. As our listeners know, we've been tracking the growing rift between Kiev and the Trump administration here on the PDB. That friction came to a head last Wednesday when Trump lashed out at Zelensky, calling him a, quote, dictator without elections in a truth social post. That divide widened further when Trump accused Ukraine of starting the war with Russia, and when the U.S. voted against a U.N. resolution condemning Russia's invasion on Monday. Now, despite the revised deal, still lacking explicit security assurances, the Ukrainian officials hope that it will be enough to stabilize relations with Washington. Trump described the agreement as

including, quote, a form of peacekeeping that's acceptable to everybody, though he stopped short of committing U.S. forces to any future deterrence mission. Under the new terms, Ukraine will allocate a portion of future revenues from mineral resource development into a dedicated fund to invest in domestic projects. However, the specifics of the U.S. stake in the fund will be determined in upcoming negotiations. The stakes are high, as a statement of the obvious, Ukraine is home to reserves of at least 20 of the 50 minerals that the U.S. deems critical, including rare earth elements which are essential materials for industries ranging from consumer electronics to defense technology. Industry analysts estimate their collective value in the trillions of

dollars. Now, one interesting element of this deal is the unfortunate fact that a significant portion of the mineral reserves are currently located in the 20% of Ukraine that's currently controlled by Russia. As the final details are hammered out in the coming days, the long-term impact remains uncertain. For Kiev, the deal is a potential economic lifeline and a way to keep Washington engaged in the war. For Trump, it's a strategic gambit that could not only reshape U.S. policy on Ukraine, but also bolster his leverage with Moscow. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 26th, February. If you have any questions or comments, will please reach out to me at PDB at thefirsttv.com.

And not that you need reminding, but to listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of the president's daily brief simply by visiting PDB premium.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Some follow the noise.

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