Former Obama officials accused of manufacturing Russia collusion narrative to undermine Trump presidency
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has accused senior Obama administration officials of orchestrating what she called a “treasonous conspiracy” to undermine Donald Trump’s presidency, citing a trove of over 100 declassified documents released on Friday.
Speaking on Sunday Morning Futures, Gabbard called the revelations “historic,” claiming they present “overwhelming evidence” that top intelligence leaders under President Barack Obama helped create the narrative linking Trump to Russian election interference in 2016 — despite what she described as a lack of supporting evidence at the time.
“This is not about Democrats or Republicans. This is about the integrity of our democratic republic,” Gabbard said. “The documents we’ve released show that this effort was directed from the very top — by President Obama himself — in the final weeks of his presidency, after Donald Trump had already won the election.”
Gabbard: Intelligence Was ‘Manufactured’
According to the documents, there was no intelligence suggesting that Russia had attempted to change vote tallies in the 2016 election. However, Gabbard alleges that officials later pivoted to claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin supported Trump — a shift she says was politically driven.
“This manufactured narrative contradicted prior intelligence that said Russia lacked both the intent and the capability to ‘hack’ our election,” Gabbard said. “It was used to launch a years-long effort to undermine a duly elected president.”
Gabbard pointed to key players in the intelligence community — including former CIA Director John Brennan, former DNI James Clapper, former FBI Director James Comey, and former National Security Adviser Susan Rice — as being complicit in what she described as an unprecedented abuse of power.
Criminal Referrals Underway
Gabbard announced that her office will be sending the newly declassified materials to the Department of Justice and the FBI for possible criminal prosecution. She also revealed that whistleblowers from inside the intelligence community have begun coming forward in the wake of the disclosures.
“These are people who were there at the time and were appalled by what they witnessed. They want to see justice served,” she said. “There must be indictments. No one — no matter how powerful — should be above the law.”
Political Backlash and Silence from Obama Team
The allegations have sparked sharp criticism from Democrats. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, dismissed Gabbard’s claims as “baseless political theater.”
Fox News Digital reported that it reached out to representatives of former President Obama, Brennan, Clapper, Comey, Rice, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, but received no response.
Gabbard, a former Democrat and 2020 presidential candidate who has since aligned herself with the Trump administration, remains adamant that the alleged plot was intended to “subvert the will of the American people” and ensure Trump’s presidency would be engulfed in scandal from the start.
“As more people come forward and more documents are released,” she said, “the truth will become undeniable — and those responsible will be held accountable.”
