Former Democrat Rep. and current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard dropped a political bombshell Friday, declassifying intelligence that shows the Obama administration deliberately suppressed key findings that contradicted the narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
According to documents obtained by Fox News, the intelligence community concluded just before the 2016 election that Russia “did not impact” U.S. election results through cyber means. But after Donald Trump’s upset victory over Hillary Clinton, those findings were pulled from the President’s Daily Brief and replaced with a politically driven assessment at the direction of senior Obama officials.
“On Dec 8, 2016, IC officials prepared an assessment for the President’s Daily Brief, finding that Russia ‘did not impact recent U.S. election results’ by conducting cyber attacks on infrastructure,” Gabbard posted to X. “Before it could reach the President, it was abruptly pulled ‘based on new guidance.’”
The original draft concluded it was “highly unlikely” that Russian activity altered any state’s official vote results, and noted any efforts were meant only to undermine confidence in the process, not change the outcome.
That intelligence, however, was immediately flagged by then-FBI Director James Comey, whose bureau issued a “dissent” to block its release. Soon after, top Obama officials — including John Brennan, Susan Rice, Loretta Lynch, and John Kerry — convened at the White House Situation Room, and the next day, DNI James Clapper ordered a new intelligence assessment be created to fit a different narrative: Russian meddling helped Trump win.
Gabbard revealed that whistleblower emails confirm that Obama-era intelligence leaders used the discredited Steele Dossier to push this new version of events, even though the dossier had been dismissed by the CIA as unreliable and filled with “internet rumors.”
? Americans will finally learn the truth about how in 2016, intelligence was politicized and weaponized by the most powerful people in the Obama Administration to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President @realDonaldTrump, subverting the… pic.twitter.com/UQKKZ5c4Op
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) July 18, 2025
The revised January 6, 2017 intelligence report directly contradicted months of prior assessments and served as the basis for years of media and political attacks on President Trump — all while suppressing the original finding that Russia had neither the intent nor the capacity to alter the vote.
“The information we are releasing today clearly shows there was a treasonous conspiracy in 2016 committed by officials at the highest level of our government,” Gabbard said in a statement to Fox News. “Their goal was to subvert the will of the American people and enact what was essentially a years-long coup.”
Gabbard added that all individuals involved should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, saying, “No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be held accountable to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”
She concluded by confirming that she has handed over the declassified materials to the Department of Justice, pledging to secure the justice and accountability that “President Trump, his family, and the American people deserve.”