DNI Gabbard Sends Declassified 2016 Memo to DOJ, Citing ‘Russia Hoax’

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has asked the Justice Department to review a newly declassified 2016 intelligence memo that, she alleges, undercuts the narrative that Russia swung the 2016 election and shows senior Obama‑era officials knowingly “politicized” raw intelligence.

The 11‑page Presidential Daily Brief bluntly states that: “We assess that Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent US election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure.” It adds that such activity “failed to reach the scale and sophistication necessary to change election outcomes.”

Despite that finding, the FBI, CIA and other agencies pressed ahead with the Trump‑Russia probe that dominated President Trump’s first term and shaped the 2018 mid‑terms.

“It lays out—these over 100 documents I declassified—exactly what happens when the most powerful people in our country, led by President Obama, choose to create a manufactured piece of intelligence with the goal of subverting the will of the American people,” Gabbard told Sean Hannity.

She argued that the “Russia hoax” triggered the $40 million Mueller investigation, two impeachments, and years of heightened tension with Moscow.

Gabbard said she has formally referred the memo and related files to DOJ. “Accountability and action—not just investigation—have to take place. The future of our republic depends on it,” she added.

On Sunday, Gabbard further asserted that: "The effect of what Pres. Obama and his senior national security team did was subvert the will of the American people, undermining our democratic republic, and enacting what would be essentially a years-long coup against Pres. Trump." She also referred to the former President’s actions as a “treasonous conspiracy.”

Unsurprisingly, “treason” has trended intermittently on social media since Gabbard’s Friday announcement.

The referral comes as the FBI pursues separate criminal inquiries into former CIA Director John Brennan and ex‑FBI Director James Comey over possible false statements to Congress and a wider “conspiracy” allegation linked to the same 2016 probe.

Investigators are weighing whether Brennan perjured himself when he denied relying on the discredited Steele dossier—a claim contradicted by newly surfaced CIA emails. Although the five‑year statute of limitations on perjury has lapsed, prosecutors could still pursue a broader conspiracy charge, legal analysts say.

Justice Department officials have not yet commented. Gabbard insists that releasing the files is only the start. “Every person involved in this conspiracy must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law to ensure nothing like this ever happens again,” she said.

The memo’s publication will likely rekindle partisan battles over the 2016 election—and test Attorney General Pam Bondi’s DOJ’s appetite for investigating its predecessors.