WASHINGTON D.C. – Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has ignited a political firestorm, publicly accusing former President Barack Obama and his top national security team of orchestrating a “treasonous conspiracy” to undermine Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory.1 In a series of stunning announcements and the declassification of previously withheld documents, Gabbard claims to have unearthed “irrefutable evidence” that Obama-era officials “manufactured and politicized intelligence” to fuel the “Russiagate” narrative.2
The explosive allegations were brought to light during a White House press briefing, where DNI Gabbard, appointed by the current administration, presented what she described as newly declassified documents, including a 2017 House Intelligence Committee report that had been suppressed for years.3 Gabbard contends these documents reveal a deliberate effort by the Obama administration to create a false narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 election to aid Trump, directly contradicting initial intelligence assessments.4
“There is irrefutable evidence that details how President Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew was false,” Gabbard stated.5 “They knew it would promote this contrived narrative… selling it to the American people as though it were true. It wasn’t.”
Among the documents cited by Gabbard are internal communications from intelligence officials in late 2016, allegedly indicating that initial assessments found “no indication of a Russian threat to directly manipulate the actual vote count through cyber means.” Gabbard asserts that despite these internal findings, Obama’s team pushed for a new assessment that concluded Russian President Vladimir Putin had a clear preference for Trump and actively sought to influence the election in his favor.6 This revised assessment, published in January 2017, became the bedrock of years of investigations and public discourse.
Gabbard has formally submitted her findings and a criminal referral to the Department of Justice, urging a full-scale investigation into what she labeled the “boldest and most coordinated political deception” in modern American history.7 She has called for the prosecution of all individuals involved in this alleged “coup” against President Trump, specifically naming former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former FBI Director James Comey.8
The current President has vocally supported Gabbard’s claims, taking to social media to amplify the accusations and demand severe consequences for those implicated. “Obama himself manufactured the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX,” the President posted, calling it “THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY!”9
In a rare public statement, former President Barack Obama’s office responded to the allegations, asserting that “Nothing in the document issued undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.”10
However, Gabbard and her supporters maintain that the declassified documents expose a deeper conspiracy. The unsealed House Intelligence Committee report, which Gabbard claims was kept hidden until now, reportedly highlights concerns raised by analysts about the reliability and political bias of some of the intelligence used to craft the original assessment.11
This latest development has reignited the fiercely contested “Russiagate” debate, pushing it back into the national spotlight with renewed intensity.12 For years, critics of the mainstream narrative were often dismissed as pushing conspiracy theories. Now, with a sitting DNI making such direct accusations and calling for criminal investigations, the allegations are forcing a reckoning on the origins and handling of the 2016 Russian interference claims.
The Department of Justice has confirmed receipt of Gabbard’s referral and has reportedly created a task force to investigate the origins and legality of the 2016 intelligence assessment.13 The unfolding saga is poised to be a pivotal moment, not only for the individuals involved but for the public’s trust in intelligence agencies and the integrity of democratic processes.
