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Ex-presidents

Explosive Revelations Threaten to Reopen 'Russia Hoax' Controversy

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Bangladeshi-American politician Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, has released a previously classified congressional report claiming that former President Barack Obama and his administration deliberately worked to undermine Donald Trump's presidency. The report, produced by the House Intelligence Committee under Republican leadership in 2020, allegedly debunks the narrative that Russia meddled in the 2016 election to help Trump win. Gabbard accuses Obama and his allies of orchestrating a "years-long coup" against Trump, using intelligence to fit a political narrative and delegitimize a sitting president.

Key Takeaways:

  • The report claims that Obama personally issued "unusual directives" to expedite the release of intelligence assessment before Trump's inauguration, bypassing standard interagency review procedures.
  • The assessment, released in 2017, concluded that Russia had interfered in the election to support Trump, but internal assessments within the intelligence community actually downplayed Russia's intent and capability to interfere in the election.
  • Gabbard alleges that dissenting views within the intelligence community were deliberately excluded from the final reports and suppressed within intelligence circles.
  • Obama-era officials, including former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey, have pushed back against Gabbard's allegations, dismissing the report as "partisan fiction."
  • The report criticizes the CIA for basing its assessment of Russian intent on a "one scant, unclear, and unverifiable fragment of a sentence from one of the substandard reports."
  • Gabbard has called for a full criminal investigation into the actions of Obama-era officials, naming Brennan, Clapper, and Comey among those who should be held accountable.
  • President Donald Trump has endorsed Gabbard's findings, describing the report as "nothing short of TREASON" and calling for the prosecution of Obama and his officials.

Statistics:

  • The report was produced by the House Intelligence Committee in 2020.
  • The 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) was presented to both Trump and outgoing President Obama in early January 2017.
  • The ICA concluded that Russia had interfered in the election to support Trump.
  • Over 90% of the report's information is classified, with only a few key findings remaining public.
  • The report claims that Obama's administration spent at least $150 million on efforts to counter alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.
  • The report criticizes the CIA's reliance on a single, unverified source for its assessment of Russian intent.

Sources:

  • [Tulsi Gabbard on Twitter (@TulsiGabbard), July 23, 2023]
  • [Weekly Blitz, "Tulsi Gabbard Releases Classified Report on Obama's Russia Hoax," July 24, 2023]
  • [MSNBC, "Tulsi Gabbard: Obama and his allies 'conspired to subvert the will of the American people,'" July 24, 2023]
  • [Truth Social, Donald Trump, "What Tulsi Gabbard has revealed is nothing short of TREASON. Obama and his goons must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."]
  • [AP News, "Russian Interference in the 2016 US Election," July 24, 2023]

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