Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard leveled explosive accusations against former President Barack Obama during a White House press briefing Wednesday, claiming he orchestrated a “treasonous conspiracy” to undermine President Donald Trump and overturn the will of the American people.
Gabbard, who has declassified and released hundreds of documents tied to the Russia collusion probe over the last two weeks, said the evidence “directly points to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment” — referring to the now-discredited January 2017 report produced just days before Trump took office.
“The intent behind creating a fake, manufactured intelligence document that directly contradicts multiple assessments from within the intelligence community — the intent and what followed — can only be described as a years-long coup and a treasonous conspiracy,” Gabbard said. “This was a political attack cloaked in the language of national security.”
The briefing comes amid mounting pressure from the White House and GOP lawmakers to hold Obama-era officials accountable for what Gabbard and others are calling the largest political scandal in modern history. According to the documents released so far, intelligence officials initially concluded that Russia did not interfere with the election outcome. But within 48 hours, under Obama’s direct orders, a new intelligence assessment was launched that reversed course.
The manufactured report, critics say, was used as the foundation for the Russia collusion narrative that dominated Trump’s first term, fed years of media hysteria, and ultimately led to a failed impeachment attempt.
Gabbard, who has already referred the case to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation, noted that while she is not a lawyer, the evidence presents a clear case of abuse of power at the highest levels of government.
“I don’t use these words lightly,” she said. “But when you conspire to manufacture intelligence for political purposes, against the incoming President of the United States, it’s not just unethical. It’s criminal.”
Obama’s office responded with a dismissive statement late Tuesday. Spokesman Patrick Rodenbush called the accusations “ridiculous” and “a weak attempt at distraction,” saying they did not merit a serious response.
Gabbard fired back during the briefing: “President Obama and his allies are doing a disservice to the American people. Deflecting, denying, and hiding behind dismissive statements will not erase their involvement in a plot to deceive the country and hijack our democratic system.”
Wednesday’s briefing followed the release of a second tranche of declassified materials, including internal emails and memos showing how Obama’s National Security Council and top intelligence officials bypassed standard review processes and relied on disputed sources like the Steele dossier to assemble their final report.
“These were political actors with a political mission,” Gabbard said. “They hijacked the tools of our intelligence community to carry out an operation against a duly-elected president. That is not just wrong. It’s dangerous to our republic.”
Gabbard said more documents are coming, and she vowed to pursue full transparency regardless of political pressure.
“The American people deserve the truth. This is not about Republicans or Democrats — it’s about whether our constitutional system survives a permanent, unaccountable intelligence class that believes it can override election outcomes.”
The Department of Justice has not yet confirmed whether it will pursue criminal charges, but Attorney General Pam Bondi has stated the documents Gabbard provided are under active review.
As the scandal continues to unfold, calls are growing louder for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, James Comey, and others to testify under oath before Congress.
“This is no longer just about what they did to President Trump,” Gabbard concluded. “It’s about what they tried to do to the American people. And we’re not going to let them get away with it.”
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