Overview

• McCain labeled Collins an “absolute imbecile” and “pure partisan hack” on X after Collins’s tense exchange with DNI Tulsi Gabbard.
• Collins had challenged Gabbard on July 23, asking whether the declassification was timed to improve her standing with President Trump.
• Gabbard defended the newly released documents as “irrefutable” and denied that political motives influenced their timing.
• No official decision has been announced on McCain’s demand, recalling the precedent of Jim Acosta’s 2018 credential revocation.
• The incident underscores broader tensions over press freedom and the partisan use of intelligence in White House briefings.