Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has accused former President Barack Obama and his national security team of orchestrating a “treasonous conspiracy” to undermine Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory through falsified intelligence reports about Russian interference. The explosive allegations, announced during a White House briefing on July 23, 2025, represent an unprecedented attack by a sitting intelligence chief against a former president.
Gabbard declassified a 44-page report prepared by the House Intelligence Committee in September 2020 that she claims proves Obama administration officials manufactured findings to suggest Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. The report, authored by Republican staff members, questioned the intelligence community’s assessment that Vladimir Putin preferred Trump over Hillary Clinton.
During the Wednesday briefing, Gabbard stated there was “irrefutable evidence” that Obama and his team directed the creation of an intelligence assessment they knew was false. She characterized the actions as the “most egregious weaponization and politicization of intelligence in American history” and announced she had referred Obama to the Department of Justice for potential criminal prosecution.
The allegations center on the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment that concluded Russia had interfered in the 2016 election to damage Clinton’s campaign and boost Trump’s prospects. Gabbard argued that Obama administration officials ignored intelligence showing Russia could not manipulate vote counts and instead manufactured a narrative to delegitimize Trump’s electoral victory.
Former CIA officer Susan Miller, who helped lead the intelligence assessments on Russian interference, strongly disputed Gabbard’s claims. Miller, a 39-year agency veteran, questioned Gabbard’s understanding of intelligence work and defended her team’s findings. Miller told reporters that “it is not a hoax” and emphasized the assessments were based on verified intelligence from trusted sources.
Miller and her former team members have hired lawyers to defend against potential charges, reprising a situation from 2017 when they faced similar scrutiny. The scenario parallels the investigation by special counsel John Durham, whose four-year probe into FBI investigations of Trump-Russia links resulted in only one conviction of an FBI lawyer who altered an email.
Obama’s office issued a rare public statement dismissing the allegations as ridiculous and part of an attempt to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein files controversy. Spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush indicated that nothing in the declassified documents undermines the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 election without successfully manipulating votes.
Former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper broke their silence on July 30, publishing a joint op-ed in the New York Times calling Gabbard’s allegations “patently false.” They accused her of rewriting history and undermining established intelligence findings.
Democratic lawmakers have criticized the timing of Gabbard’s announcement, suggesting it serves as a distraction from mounting pressure on the Trump administration to release information about Epstein. Senator Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, accused Gabbard of releasing partisan materials that risk exposing sensitive sources and methods used to gather intelligence on Russia.
Representative Jason Crow characterized Gabbard as having become a “weapon of mass distraction” in her efforts to regain favor with Trump following their public disagreement over Iran’s nuclear program. Crow noted that multiple investigations, including a bipartisan Senate report co-authored by current Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have consistently supported the intelligence community’s findings about Russian interference.
The Justice Department announced the formation of a “strike force” on July 23 to assess the evidence and examine potential legal steps resulting from Gabbard’s disclosures. However, reports suggest Attorney General Pam Bondi was caught off guard by Gabbard’s request for her department to investigate the matter.
Trump has amplified Gabbard’s claims, sharing content on Truth Social and telling reporters that Obama had been “caught absolutely cold.” The President characterized the Obama administration’s actions as treason and indicated it was time to pursue legal action against political opponents.
The controversy represents an escalation in Trump’s long-standing grievances about investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election, which he has consistently labeled a “hoax.” Multiple investigations by Congress, the intelligence community, and special counsels have previously confirmed that Russia interfered in the election, though they reached different conclusions about coordination with the Trump campaign and the extent of any impact on electoral outcomes.