Gabbard Accuses Obama of Orchestrating “Russia Hoax” in Explosive Briefing
"The evidence directly points to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment,” Gabbard said
In a surprise White House press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard accused former President Barack Obama of knowingly advancing a false narrative tying Donald Trump to Russian election interference.
Gabbard cited newly declassified documents and a 44-page GOP-led House Intelligence Committee report as evidence that Obama was briefed there was no credible link between Trump and Russia, yet approved efforts to spread the narrative anyway. “The evidence directly points to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment,” Gabbard said during the briefing. “They knew it was false,” she added, claiming the goal was to “delegitimize President Trump even before he was inaugurated,” according to Fox News.
These documents contain “irrefutable evidence that details how President Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew was false,” Gabbard said at the press conference Wednesday.
The documents were formally referred to the Department of Justice and FBI for potential criminal prosecution, including charges as serious as treason, Gabbard announced. “This was never about national security,” she said. “It was about stopping Trump by any means necessary.”
The allegations drew immediate pushback from Democratic leaders. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner called Gabbard’s statements “reckless,” warning that the disclosures could jeopardize national security and strain partnerships with allied intelligence services, according to Politico.
A spokesperson for Obama dismissed the claims as “ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction," stating the newly released materials do not change the longstanding consensus that Russia did interfere in the 2016 election, though no evidence was found that it changed any votes.
Gabbard’s press conference marks a dramatic reentry into the national political spotlight and underscores ongoing efforts by Trump allies to reframe the Russia investigation as a politically driven attack. Whether the Justice Department will act on Gabbard’s referrals remains unclear, but the announcement has already reignited fierce partisan debate over the origins of the Russia probe.
