On March 16, 2026, Liberation Times published an investigation reporting that a UAP inquiry conducted under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence had come under scrutiny over allegations that whistleblowers were subjected to smear campaigns and intimidation efforts intended to discourage congressional UAP disclosure efforts.
The investigation was conducted by Christopher Sharp of Liberation Times, a named journalist whose UAP reporting has been cited in congressional proceedings.
The Director’s Initiatives Group
The alleged UAP inquiry was led by the Director’s Initiatives Group, a task force established by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to, in Gabbard’s stated terms, restore trust and end government weaponization within the Intelligence Community.
According to Liberation Times’ reporting, the group was wound down in February 2026 and its members reassigned. The circumstances of the shutdown were not publicly explained by ODNI.
Allegations Against Whistleblowers
Liberation Times reported that Matthew Brown, the former Department of War official who authored a report alleging the existence of an Unacknowledged Special Access Program tasked with tracking advanced craft of suspected human and non-human origin, was among those alleged to have been targeted.
Former U.S. Air Force geospatial intelligence specialist Dylan Borland, who testified before the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets at a September 9, 2025 hearing, was also named as having been subjected to coordinated online attacks. Borland was previously quoted separately as stating: “There have been coordinated online attacks” by “active duty service members or reserve service members with active clearances.”
According to Liberation Times’ sources, damaging allegations against Brown and Borland were said to have originated from within a SCIF, a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility used for discussions involving highly classified material.
Claims Regarding CIA Involvement
Multiple sources who spoke to Liberation Times claimed that the ODNI UAP inquiry was compromised by elements linked to the CIA, with the alleged aim of discouraging Congress from pursuing further UAP hearings and legislation, and deterring additional whistleblowers from coming forward publicly.
Liberation Times reported that some members of the Director’s Initiatives Group appeared to be examining the UAP issue in good faith, and that its sources indicated no evidence of Director of National Intelligence Gabbard’s personal involvement in any effort to intimidate whistleblowers.
Context
Brown’s disclosure and his cooperation with congressional investigators had been previously reported. Brown provided congressional staff with assistance in identifying where UAP-related records are stored across the federal system.
The allegations, if substantiated, would represent a significant escalation: the use of classified facilities to conduct alleged smear campaigns against witnesses cooperating with a sitting congressional task force.
Editorial Note
The primary source for this article is Liberation Times, a Tier 2 UAP-focused outlet edited by Christopher Sharp. The allegations were initially aired on the Weaponized podcast hosted by Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp, who are classified as Tier 3 sources under NHI News Network’s sourcing policy. Liberation Times conducted follow-up reporting and obtained corroboration from additional named and unnamed sources. Human editors should verify whether any Tier 1 source (congressional record, official statement, court filing) has confirmed or responded to any element of these allegations before publishing.
Sources
- Director of National Intelligence UFO Inquiry Rocked by Claims of Whistleblower Smears and Intimidation, Liberation Times, Christopher Sharp, March 16, 2026