Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is calling out the mainstream media for their near-total silence following the release of a declassified report alleging that former President Barack Obama and key members of his administration “manufactured” intelligence to justify the Trump-Russia collusion investigation.
Gabbard declassified the report last Friday, which she says contains “overwhelming evidence” showing how the Obama administration laid the groundwork for the Trump-Russia probe shortly after Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
Despite the significance of the findings, Gabbard noted that the media has chosen to ignore the story entirely. Speaking on Fox & Friends Saturday, she described the media’s reaction as “deafening silence.”
“It’s interesting to see how when they do cover this, they don’t actually address what the evidence reveals,” Gabbard said. “They simply parrot Democrat criticisms without dealing with the truth laid bare in these reports.”
Media Complicity and Parallels to Iraq War Coverage
Gabbard argued that liberal media outlets have two key motives for sidestepping the revelations: “First, they don’t want the American people to know the truth. And second, they know they were complicit. They published the Obama administration’s false intelligence with no scrutiny, no skepticism, no basic journalistic standards.”
She compared the media’s role in promoting the Trump-Russia narrative to its uncritical embrace of the false claims about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction—claims that paved the way for the war in the Middle East.
“How many of them ever admitted they got it wrong?” she asked. “A few offered half-hearted excuses. But now again, we see history repeating itself.”
Obama Responds with Dismissal, Not Denial
Former President Obama issued a rare public statement through spokesman Patrick Rodenbush in response to the accusations, dismissing them as “bizarre” and “a weak attempt at distraction.”
“Our office does not normally respond to the constant nonsense from this White House,” Rodenbush said. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.”
He added that the findings in the declassified report do not change the consensus view that Russia tried to influence the 2016 election, though he acknowledged there was no evidence that votes were altered. He also cited a 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio, as reaffirming that conclusion.
But Gabbard pushed back on Obama’s carefully worded response, accusing him of dodging the core allegations.
“He didn’t dispute any of the substance in the report,” Gabbard said. “He deflected, avoided, and tried to change the subject. The American people deserve better than a polished brush-off.”
‘A Direct Assault on Our Democracy’
Gabbard emphasized that this issue transcends party lines.
“This is about the integrity of our democratic republic,” she said. “If a sitting president used manufactured intelligence to undermine a political rival, that’s a direct assault on the will of the American people.”
She reiterated a claim she made earlier to Fox News host Sean Hannity, stating that Obama and his national security team directed the creation of the now-debunked Steele Dossier as part of an orchestrated effort to discredit President Trump.
As the political fallout grows, Gabbard made clear the consequences will not be limited to the Obama administration.
“This was one of the most damaging political hoaxes in American history,” she concluded. “The truth is finally coming out—and those responsible must be held accountable.”
