WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama’s office has strongly pushed back against claims by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who recently referred several Obama-era officials to the Department of Justice for potential criminal investigation.
Gabbard alleged that members of the Obama administration “manufactured and politicized intelligence” after the 2016 election to promote a narrative that Russia had interfered in the election to help Donald Trump. Her office released over 100 pages of declassified documents last week, along with a memo claiming the Obama-era intelligence community suppressed or distorted data that shaped the January 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian election interference.
In a rare public response, Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush dismissed Gabbard’s allegations as baseless and politically motivated.
“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, we generally do not respond to the constant stream of misinformation coming from this White House,” Rodenbush said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “But these bizarre accusations are so outrageous, they deserve a direct rebuttal. They are ridiculous and represent a weak attempt to distract the public.”
Rodenbush added that nothing in the documents released by Gabbard undermines the long-standing consensus that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 election. He pointed to a 2020 bipartisan report from the Senate Intelligence Committee, chaired by Republican Senator Marco Rubio, which affirmed that Russia did try to sway the election but did not tamper with vote totals or voting machines.
Gabbard’s Explosive Accusations
Gabbard, who has repeatedly clashed with the intelligence community and now heads the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), claimed the declassified files revealed a “treasonous conspiracy” led by former Obama officials to sabotage Donald Trump. She called it a “years-long coup,” and said more documents would be released soon.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Gabbard stated: “Their goal was to usurp President Trump and subvert the will of the American people. No matter how powerful, everyone involved must be fully investigated and prosecuted. The integrity of our democratic republic depends on it.”
According to her office, all relevant documents have been submitted to the DOJ for further review.
What the Original Intelligence Assessments Said
The 2017 intelligence community assessment, which Gabbard now disputes, concluded with “high confidence” that Russian President Vladimir Putin directed an effort to influence the 2016 election. The report said Russia’s aims were to “undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process,” damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign, and ultimately help elect Donald Trump.
A separate investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee, released in 2020 and cited by Obama’s team, echoed those conclusions. The bipartisan report found that Russian operatives targeted U.S. election systems as far back as 2014 but did not find any evidence that votes were changed or machines were compromised.
Ongoing Controversy
The political firestorm sparked by Gabbard’s criminal referral has reignited debate over the origins of the Russia investigation and whether intelligence assessments were manipulated for political purposes. While Trump and his allies continue to insist he was the target of a “deep state” conspiracy, intelligence experts and bipartisan congressional reports have consistently reaffirmed that Russia engaged in election interference.
Obama’s office said it would not comment further on the matter but stood by the integrity of the intelligence community’s findings.
