Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard intensified criticism of the Obama administration during a White House press briefing, claiming former President Barack Obama deliberately promoted a false narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win. According to Gabbard, newly declassified intelligence documents show that Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence assessment they knew was inaccurate, using it to mislead the public and discredit Trump before he took office.
Gabbard stated the documents reveal the Obama administration politicized intelligence to create the appearance of Russian collusion with Trump’s campaign, despite lacking direct evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin intended to support Trump. She emphasized that the intelligence community’s findings were manipulated to push a politically motivated story and shape public perception ahead of Trump’s inauguration.
Gabbard confirmed that these declassified materials have been referred to both the Department of Justice and the FBI for further investigation. She claimed the documents provide clear evidence that President Obama orchestrated the production of the flawed intelligence report, adding that multiple pieces of corroborating evidence point to deliberate fabrication at the highest levels of government.
President Donald Trump, responding to the revelations, directly accused Obama of being the ringleader behind efforts to investigate and discredit his 2016 campaign. Trump’s remarks align with Gabbard’s claims, further fueling calls for accountability over the origins of the Russia investigation.
Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush dismissed the accusations as politically motivated and without merit. He argued the documents do not invalidate previous findings by the intelligence community or the bipartisan 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report led by Marco Rubio, which concluded that Russia attempted to influence the election but did not manipulate vote counts.
Rodenbush labeled the new claims as bizarre and unfounded, calling them a distraction from real issues. He reiterated that while Russian interference occurred, there was no evidence it altered the outcome of the election.
The dispute underscores deepening tensions over the legacy of the Russia investigation, with Trump administration officials pushing for a full reckoning over what they describe as a coordinated effort by the Obama White House to undermine a duly elected president. As the DOJ and FBI review the newly released evidence, the political and legal fallout could shape the 2025 election cycle and further define the narrative around one of the most divisive chapters in recent U.S. political history.
FoxNews
