In a recent interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard made explosive allegations against officials from the Obama administration. Gabbard accused them of orchestrating a "years-long coup" against President Donald Trump following his victory in the 2016 presidential election. She highlighted the challenges posed by "deep state obstacles" that impeded the dissemination of information regarding the Trump-Russia collusion allegations, which she referred to as a hoax.
The National Intelligence director emphasized that certain individuals within the intelligence community were opposed to the release of such information, preferring to keep it hidden from public scrutiny. "There are a lot of deep state actors still here within Washington. President Trump wants us to find the truth. I want to find that truth," Gabbard stated during the interview.
Gabbard praised the recent actions of Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice in their efforts to address these concerns. "The American people deserve the truth, and they deserve accountability, which is why I'm really glad to see that Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Department of Justice announced the creation of a strike force team today," she added. This team is tasked with examining the intelligence and evidence collected and determining the appropriate course of action to ensure accountability.
On July 18, Gabbard took to a viral X thread to explain how the Obama administration attempted to subvert "the will of the American people." She argued that, according to the intelligence community's consensus in 2016, Russia lacked the capability to hack the U.S. election. However, she noted that the narrative seemed to shift after Trump's election win.
Gabbard pointed to a December 8, 2016, intelligence assessment prepared for the President's Daily Brief which concluded that Russia "did not impact recent U.S. election results" by conducting cyber-attacks on infrastructure. The assessment was never published, as it was withdrawn "based on new guidance" before reaching the President.
A spokesperson for former President Barack Obama dismissed Gabbard's claims as "bizarre" and "outrageous," maintaining that the intelligence community's findings regarding Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election remain valid. These conclusions were supported by a 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report, chaired by then-Senator Marco Rubio.
In 2020, Rubio released a statement detailing the findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which found no evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia during the 2016 election. Although the committee concluded that Russia did not "hack" the election, it did acknowledge Kremlin meddling. "The Committee found that the Russian government engaged in an aggressive, multi-faceted effort to influence, or attempt to influence, the outcome of the 2016 presidential election," Rubio stated.
Gabbard's interview has stirred significant controversy and debate regarding the integrity of the intelligence community and the political motivations behind the Trump-Russia collusion narrative. As the story unfolds, the American public is left to ponder the implications of these allegations and the potential impact on trust in governmental institutions.
