Democrats lambasted Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard after she unveiled a declassified document alleging that Barack Obama and top national security officials distorted intelligence following Donald Trump’s 2016 win.
The information, which Gabbard released on Friday, provides “overwhelming evidence” of a coordinated campaign to politicize intelligence and damage Trump’s presidency.
The file revisits long-standing controversies surrounding the Russia investigation, which began after accusations that the Trump campaign collaborated with Russian operatives to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.
Despite extensive investigations, no proof of collusion was uncovered.
The focus has now shifted to how and why the investigation began in the first place, and whether intelligence agencies misused their power.
"BLOCKBUSTER SCANDAL FROM DOCUMENTS RELEASED BY @DNIGabbard TODAY."
"The Obama Administration allegedly manufactured and politicized intelligence to create the narrative that Russia was attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election." pic.twitter.com/0YeJpS9Cc3
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 18, 2025
A key element of the new assessment is the discredited Steele Dossier — a private and unverified compilation of allegations regarding Trump’s connections to Russia.
The DNI file contends that intelligence assessments citing Russian interference were based on “information that was known by those involved to be manufactured.”
Intelligence officials noted that Russian-linked entities attempted to breach voter registration systems in Illinois and other states, but said there was no successful tampering with voting infrastructure.
The report stated it was “highly unlikely” any actual vote tallies were impacted.
Officials added that criminal interference had not reached the level necessary to alter election results.
Their goal was to usurp President Trump and subvert the will of the American people.
No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The integrity of our democratic republic depends on it.
We… pic.twitter.com/KJ7qrmMv0k
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) July 18, 2025
The DHS briefing that supported by input from the FBI, CIA, NSA, DIA, State Department, and open-source intelligence, clarified that while Russian actors attempted to access databases, there was no evidence they succeeded in affecting the integrity of votes cast or counted.
The memo attached to the file alleges that both the DNI and DHS failed to include critical disclaimers in public communications.
It claims the agencies omitted internal disagreements, such as the FBI and NSA’s “low confidence” in the claim that Russia was behind a series of 2016 data breaches.
Still, the memo noted that other evidence indicated Russia’s government played a role in directing hacks targeting the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
The document alleges that some intelligence officials began feeding “blatantly false intelligence” to media outlets like The Washington Post following Trump’s election victory.
Those leaks, according to the file, were meant to create the perception that Trump had benefited from Russian interference and to delegitimize his administration before it began.
Among the most serious allegations, the memo recounts how CIA analysts told reporters that Russia had used “cyber means” to sway the 2016 outcome and that a “secret assessment” determined Russian operatives sought to aid Trump’s campaign.
A whistleblower within the DNI claimed they could not support such conclusions, citing a lack of credible evidence indicating Russia had a decisive preference for Trump.
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Gabbard’s statement accused top officials of using tainted intelligence to drive a campaign aimed at obstructing Trump’s presidency.
“This was politicized intelligence that was used as the basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump’s victory, the years-long Mueller investigation, two Congressional impeachments, high level officials being investigated, arrested, and thrown in jail, heightened US-Russia tensions, and more,” she said.
She claimed the objective was to undermine the democratic process and overthrow Trump.
“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.
She continued, “Their egregious abuse of power and blatant rejection of our Constitution threatens the very foundation and integrity of our democratic republic.”
Calling for accountability, Gabbard insisted that all those involved be held criminally liable.
“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,” she said.
Gabbard concluded by stating she is handing over all related materials to the Department of Justice.
“The American people’s faith and trust in our democratic republic and therefore the future of our nation depends on it,” she wrapped up.
“As such, I am providing all documents to the Department of Justice to deliver the accountability that President Trump, his family, and the American people deserve.”
The announcement quickly sparked backlash from leading Democrats on Capitol Hill, many of whom framed the release as a calculated distraction.
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, dismissed the allegations.
“It’s a day that ends with ‘y’ and Donald Trump desperately wants to change the subject, so Director Gabbard is rehashing decade-old false claims about the Obama Administration,” he said.
He asserted that numerous investigations had affirmed the intelligence community’s 2016 assessment and found no evidence of political bias.
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, was similarly critical.
“It seems DNI Gabbard is unaware that the years-long Russia investigation carried out by the Senate Intelligence Committee reaffirmed that ‘the Russian government directed extensive activity against U.S. election infrastructure’ ahead of the 2016 election,” Warner said.
It seems DNI Gabbard is unaware that the years-long Russia investigation carried out by the Senate Intelligence Committee reaffirmed that ‘the Russian government directed extensive activity against U.S. election infrastructure’ ahead of the 2016 election, and that it ‘used social…
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) July 18, 2025
He pointed out that the committee had concluded unanimously that Russia engaged in an information warfare campaign designed to benefit Trump.
Warner also took aim at Gabbard’s leadership. “Tulsi Gabbard is not competent to be the director of national intelligence,” he said during the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado.
“I believe she is trying to politicize the workforce and work product, and that makes America less safe.”
