A new press release from the Trump administration has reignited debate over the 2016 Russia-gate scandal, with Tulsi Gabbard, now serving as Director of National Intelligence, accusing former President Barack Obama and his top national security officials of orchestrating a “years-long coup” against Donald Trump.
According to Gabbard, her department’s months-long investigation uncovered what she described as a “treasonous conspiracy” in which top U.S. officials manipulated public perception to falsely suggest Russian interference helped Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
“Their goal was to subvert the will of the American people and enact what was essentially a years-long coup with the objective of trying to usurp the President from fulfilling the mandate bestowed upon him by the American people,” Gabbard said. “Their egregious abuse of power and blatant rejection of our Constitution threatens the very foundation and integrity of our democratic republic.”
She called for a full investigation and prosecution of everyone involved, regardless of their political standing. “No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”
Gabbard named Obama, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper among those responsible.
The statement follows recent developments, including Department of Justice investigations into former intelligence leaders over their role in the Trump-Russia probe, particularly regarding the infamous and unverified “Steele dossier.”
Journalist Matt Taibbi told Fox News that Gabbard’s findings point directly to the Obama administration, citing a December 2016 decision to bypass the regular presidential briefing process and order a fresh intelligence community assessment with more aggressive conclusions about Trump and Russia.
According to the press release, Clapper had stated in December 2016 that foreign cyberattacks did not alter the outcome of the election. Days later, Obama reportedly met with top aides and directed intelligence officials to create a new report detailing Moscow’s alleged efforts to influence the vote.
Gabbard later shared a timeline of events related to the “Russia hoax” on social media.
However, not all lawmakers are convinced. Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., dismissed the claims, calling Gabbard’s accusations “not just a lie, but a very dangerous lie.” He pointed to a Senate report confirming that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 election, largely by targeting Hillary Clinton through hacking and online disinformation.
“It is well known and well established that the Russians hacked into the DNC and undertook any number of other influence operations, including buying reams of Facebook ads, to discredit Hillary Clinton. That is not in contention,” Himes said.
Since the release, Trump has responded online with multiple posts referencing the allegations—including one featuring an AI-generated video showing Obama being arrested by the FBI.
Gabbard concluded by saying all investigative findings would be handed over to the Department of Justice for further review and potential legal action.
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Katie is a senior who has been on staff for three years. Her favorite type of stories to write is reviews and features. Katie’s favorite ice cream flavor is strawberry.
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