A former senior CIA official who helped oversee the 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian interference in the 2016 election has accused Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and the White House of spreading falsehoods about the nature of that assessment.
Susan Miller, a retired CIA officer who co-led the intelligence community’s investigation into Moscow’s election meddling, told NBC News that the conclusion—that Russia sought to help President Donald Trump win—was grounded in solid intelligence. She emphasized that while there was no evidence of a criminal conspiracy between Trump’s team and Russia, the Kremlin’s intent was clear.
“The director of national intelligence and the White House are lying, again,” Miller said. “We definitely had the intel to show with high probability that the specific goal of the Russians was to get Trump elected.”
Miller’s comments came after Gabbard publicly dismissed the 2017 report as “manufactured” and part of a “treasonous conspiracy” by the Obama administration to delegitimize Trump’s victory. Gabbard recently declassified a 2020 House Intelligence Committee report by Republicans, claiming it undermines the 2017 findings.
Miller, however, stood by the integrity of her team’s work, saying, “There were people that hated Trump and wanted us to find something. And there were people that loved him and wanted us to find nothing. We ignored all of it. We let the data speak for itself.”
She added that her team explicitly told Trump during briefings that their assessment could not determine whether Russian disinformation had actually swayed any votes.
“We made it clear that Trump was the duly elected president of the United States,” Miller said. “But we also made clear that Russia absolutely tried to influence the outcome in his favor.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence rejected Miller’s statements. “Susan is wrong,” said ODNI spokesperson Olivia Coleman, pointing to the declassified Republican report as evidence.
The original 2017 report found that Russia engaged in a wide-ranging disinformation campaign, stole Democratic emails, and aimed to damage Hillary Clinton’s chances while bolstering Trump. While Democratic lawmakers stood by the findings, even a bipartisan Senate report in 2020—chaired at the time by Republican Marco Rubio—endorsed the intelligence community’s conclusions.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle defended Gabbard’s position, stating: “Director Gabbard declassified these documents in the name of transparency. The Obama administration’s role in the Russia hoax is now plain to see. Justice will be served.”
Former President Barack Obama’s office issued a rare rebuttal.
“These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said.
Miller also detailed how then-FBI Director James Comey insisted that the now-debunked Steele dossier be included in the assessment, though ultimately it was attached only as an annex with disclaimers about its lack of verification.
She also revealed that during the Trump administration, she was informed she might face criminal charges related to her role in compiling the assessment and was later questioned extensively by Special Counsel John Durham. No charges were ever filed.
Now retired, Miller said the entire saga serves only to divide the country further—a goal that serves Russia’s interests.
“Putin and his BFFs in the Kremlin are toasting vodka shots as we speak at the turmoil this is creating,” she said.
