Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday released a second batch of previously undisclosed documents which she said provide more evidence that President Barack Obama directly gave the order to publish the Trump-Russia collusion hoax knowing there was no proof to back it up.
"There is irrefutable evidence that details how President Obama and his national security team directed the creation of an intelligence community assessment that they knew was false," Gabbard said at a White House press briefing (see below). "They knew it would promote this contrived narrative that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help President Trump win, selling it to the American people as though it were true ... it wasn't."
“The evidence we’ve found and released directly points to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment [of Trump-Russia],” Gabbard said. “We have referred and will continue to refer all of these documents to the Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate the criminal implications of this,” including criminal implications for Obama.
When asked if she believes Obama committed treason, Gabbard said: "That's a question for Attorney General Pam Bondi."
Later, the Department of Justice announced a strike force to assess the evidence.
Gabbard said previous documents she declassified show that Obama, his CIA chief John Brennan, and others fabricated “the Russia Hoax,” suppressed intelligence showing Putin was preparing for a victory by Hillary Clinton, manufactured findings from shoddy sources, disobeyed intelligence community standards, and knowingly lied to the American people.
Obama is denying the claim that he was a “ringleader” in the get-Trump operation.
In a rare statement, a spokesman for Obama, Patrick Rodenbush, on Tuesday said, “Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”
President Donald Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social:
This makes Watergate look like small potatoes. Victor Davis Hanson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution. They are caught, irrefutable evidence. They should ALL go to jail, or it will never stop. Nobody will believe the evidence, which is overwhelming! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! Obama himself manufactured the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX. Crooked Hillary, Sleepy Joe, and numerous others participated in this, THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY!. Irrefutable EVIDENCE. A major threat to our Country!!!Speaking on Tuesday in the Oval Office about Gabbard’s initial tranche of documents, Trump noted specifically that Obama himself was implicated and that, considering Joe Biden’s aggressive prosecutions of him, that Obama and his aides should be prosecuted.
“After what they did to me, whether it’s right or wrong, it’s time to go after people. Obama has been caught directly,” Trump said.
“The witch hunt that you should be talking about is they caught President Obama absolutely cold … They tried to rig the election and they got caught — and there should be very severe consequences for that.”
Gabbard called the documents evidence of what was “the most egregious weaponization and politicization of intelligence in American history.”
.@DNIGabbard has exposed the startling depths of a seditious coup against the Republic. The forces behind this coup have done and will do anything to protect their grasp on illegal & illegitimate power. Do not underestimate their capabilities or depravities. But WE are stronger. https://t.co/itPrDzyzkp
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) July 19, 2025
