Gabbard Discusses Russian Predictions of Clinton’s 2016 Victory

National Intelligence Director Tarshi Gabbard recently shared intriguing insights regarding Russia’s perspective on the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In an episode of Miranda Devine’s podcast, she revealed that Russian officials had anticipated Hillary Clinton’s victory, viewing it as inevitable.

This statement contradicts the prevailing narrative suggesting that Russia backed Donald Trump. Instead, Gabbard contends that Moscow aimed to sow discord within the U.S. political system while preparing for a Clinton administration.

She referenced a selection of intelligence documents that her team has been releasing.

“I was honestly surprised that these documents still existed,” Gabbard remarked in a podcast set to air on Wednesday. “The records we reviewed from that campaign indicated that Russia believed Hillary Clinton would win.”

Last month, Gabbard’s team started unveiling documents that offer a rare look into the internal workings of the intelligence community during the 2016 election and the investigation into alleged Russian interference.

Among these documents is a 2020 report from the House Intelligence Committee, which indicated that the Russian Intelligence Agency possibly obtained information suggesting Clinton was on a regimen of heavy tranquilizers due to “psycho-emotional issues, including uncontrolled anger and aggression.”

In a recent interview, Gabbard questioned if Russia’s intention was indeed to bolster Trump’s campaign and instill distrust in Clinton, wondering why certain damaging intelligence was withheld from the public.

“If Russia sought to aid Trump’s election, that’s what the intelligence community suggested in January 2017. According to Brennan and Clapper, Putin would have released damaging information to support President Trump,” she stated. “This was purposely kept back because there was an assumption that Clinton would win.”

Various Democratic officials have long argued that Russian operatives were behind the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails during the election.

However, a report from the House Intelligence Committee in 2020 concluded that Putin’s main goal was to undermine faith in the U.S. democratic process.

“The American people, and our Republic, are suffering the most from this issue,” Gabbard expressed. “President Trump and his family have endured a lot due to this fabricated Russian narrative.”

On the other hand, former CIA director John Brennan and former National Intelligence Director James Clapper have accused Gabbard of spreading “patently false” claims related to the “Russian hoax” investigation. They pointed to the 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report, which asserted that analysts were not pressured to achieve a specific conclusion. Recently, they published an op-ed contending that the Intelligence Reports Community never suggested a “conspiracy” involving Trump and the Russian government, branding it as merely media speculation.

Nonetheless, they maintained the belief that the Kremlin preferred Trump’s election in 2016.

Key Points:

• Gabbard argues that new intelligence reports, including a 2020 House Intelligence Committee report, imply Moscow did not intend to support Trump and was instead positioning itself for a Clinton administration.
• Her team contends that the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment was politically motivated and disregarded substantial intelligence suggesting alternative explanations for Russia’s actions.
• Putin seemed to favor a Clinton victory, delaying the release of compromising materials for potential post-election leverage against her administration.
• A Senate report noted that lawmakers received specific information indicating Putin and the Russian government showed a preference for Trump.