During a recent White House press briefing, National Intelligence Director Tarshi Gabbard expressed strong skepticism about the Obama administration’s narrative surrounding Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election. Gabbard suggested that the administration fabricated a “considered story” about this interference.
“There’s considerable evidence indicating that President Obama and his national security team orchestrated a false assessment from the Intelligence community,” Gabbard stated. According to her, they knew that Russia was likely to spread misinformation about its attempts to boost Trump’s campaign, yet they presented it as factual to the American populace.
Gabbard’s declarations stem from a series of confidential documents suggesting that the Obama administration may have politicized intelligence reports. Notably, Gabbard pointed out that they lacked solid evidence linking Russian President Vladimir Putin directly to efforts supporting Trump’s election bid in 2016.
Subsequently, Gabbard continued her remarks, emphasizing a significant political manipulation of intelligence by the Obama administration aimed at undermining Trump’s presidency, which she believes ultimately disenfranchised American voters.
She also mentioned sharing confidential documents with the Justice Department and the FBI, asserting that these agencies should investigate any criminal implications arising from the contents.
“We will keep referring these documents to the DOJ and the FBI to ensure a thorough investigation into their criminal impact,” she asserted. Gabbard insisted that the evidence uncovered implicates Obama in orchestrating this intelligence assessment.
This all follows President Donald Trump’s recent accusations against Obama, labeling him as the “mastermind” behind an investigation into alleged collusion between his campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.
In light of these claims, a spokesman for Obama dismissed them as “strange,” indicating that recent documents would not sway earlier conclusions from intelligence assessments regarding Russian interference.
Spokesman Patrick Rodenbush stated, “Typically, we refrain from responding to the constant nonsensical claims that emerge from this White House. However, these allegations are serious enough to warrant a response.” He further described the accusations as outrageous and a weak attempt to deflect attention, reiterating that prior investigations concluded that Russia did attempt to influence the 2016 election but did not manipulate the actual voting process.
