Apr 24, 2025 | Tulsi refers 2 intelligence professionals for criminal prosecution over leaks to media, Trump blasts Zelensky

Hi everyone!
 

Tulsi Gabbard has wasted no time going after leakers who spilled their anonymous scoops to The New York Times and the Washington Post. She referred two members of the intelligence community to the Department of Justice for prosecution and a third is headed in that direction. Those referred, she said, had leaked classified information to the two leftist outlets.

Both outlets have been going hard for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, thinking they've got some kind of opening after SignalGate. They thought the first Signal Gate was so great they went for a sequel with Signal Gate 2, citing anonymous sources who said Hegseth had shared the advance info on the Houthi attacks with his wife and brother.

For days the media went nuts over it, talking to each other on TV about how now with this new *scandal* Trump would have to fire Hegseth. That didn't happen. In fact, the White House and Hegseth all brushed it off as an absurdity, essentially, saying that Hegseth would continue doing his job. Recruitment is up under Hegseth, and so is morale reportedly. And there's a lot of foreign madness going on, not just with Ukraine and Russia, where negotiations are literally do or die right now, but in the Middle East where warring terrorist groups all despise the US and Israel.

Hegseth addressed those military recruitment increases this week, saying he wasn't "surprised" by the numbers, not "one bit." He said, "They're a reflection of a yearning from the American public, of young people to be proud of their country, to be proud of their military, and when they serve they're going to get everything they need."

"Politicization of our intelligence and leaking classified information puts our nation’s security at risk and must end," Gabbard said of the criminal referrals. "Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

"Today, I referred two intelligence community leakers to the Department of Justice for criminal referral, with a third criminal referral on its way, which includes the recent illegal leak to the Washington Post. These deep-state criminals leaked classified information for partisan political purposes to undermine President Trump's agenda," she said.

In Ukraine overnight Moscow launched bombs at Kyiv, killing at least 8 and injuring dozens more. The death toll could rise as rescue efforts are still underway. Rescuers are digging people out of the rubble of collapsed apartment buildings. The attack comes as the Trump administration seeks peace between the two nations, one of which the US has promised to back militarily since Clinton's Budapest memo in 1994 and the other with which the US sees no reason to be at war.

Trump has promised to end the war, but that's proving more difficult than perhaps it first appeared. Trump and his team have put a peace deal on the table: it specifies that Ukraine will never become part of NATO and that the nation will give up territory Russia has gained since starting the war in 2022. Zelensky doesn't like the deal. Europe doesn't like the deal. They both say Trump is giving too my to Putin. Russia says Trump isn't giving anything but is simply acknowledging reality—Russia already has the things Ukraine is being asked to sacrifice.

Zelensky hasn't been willing to agree with much. He hasn't held elections since the war began, nor has he worn a suit (I jest, but has he?) Speaking to reporters yesterday while signing a slew of new executive orders from the Oval Office, Trump said "I think we have a deal," but that was the most positive thing he said.

“I think Russia is ready, a lot of people said that Russia wanted to go for the whole thing and I think we have a deal with Russia, we have to get a deal with Zelensky," Trump said. "I hope that Zelensky, I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelensky, but so far it’s been harder. But that’s okay, it’s alright. I think we have a deal with both, I hope they do it."

Trump revealed his anger at Zelensky overnight in a Truth Social post, quoting Zelensky, who said "Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. There’s nothing to talk about here."

Trump said: "The situation for Ukraine is dire —He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country.
 

Meanwhile, despite ceasefire talks, the war continues. Trump will be meeting today with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre as well as former NATO head Jens Stoltenberg. The new NATO leader, Mark Rutte, is in DC meeting with Rubio, Hegseth, and Waltz.