Top Obama administration officials are implicated in a “treasonous conspiracy” to manufacture and politicize intelligence that led to the years-long Trump-Russia collusion probe, according to newly-declassified documents released by Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard.
Vowing that “Americans will finally learn the truth” about actions taken by key officials in former President Barack Obama’s National Security Council (NSC), Gabbard released documents characterized as showing the groundwork for "a years-long coup” against President Donald Trump.
Gabbard on Friday released what she described as “overwhelming evidence” that Obama, top members of his cabinet and intelligence agencies engaged in a "years long coup" to "delegitimize" Trump's first term in the White House with false claims that the Kremlin swung the 2016 election in Trump's favor.
Gabbard's documents release include a “Russia Hoax Memo & Timeline” and a 35-page evidentiary package entitled “Declassified Evidence of Obama Administration Conspiracy to Subvert President Trump’s 2016 Victory and Presidency.”
The documents make clear that the Intelligence Community had repeatedly concluded — before and after Election Day in November 2016 — that Russia lacked both the intent and capability to alter U.S. vote totals. A September 12, 2016, assessment found that “foreign adversaries do not have and will probably not obtain the capabilities to successfully execute widespread and undetected cyber‑attacks” on election infrastructure.
The intelligence community's conclusions, however, were suppressed or overwritten at the direction of senior Obama officials, and likely Obama himself, after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. Talking points drafted for then-DNI James Clapper on December 7, 2016, stated: “Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the U.S. Presidential election outcome.” Obama's daily intelligence brief containing those conclusions was killed hours later.
An Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) released on Jan. 6, 2017 relied in part on the discredited Steele dossier and became the cornerstone of years‑long investigations and impeachment efforts — despite internal dissent warning it was “politicized intelligence.”
The timeline released by Gabbard on Friday includes the following findings:
• 31 Aug 2016 — DHS tells then‑DNI Clapper there is “no indication” of a Russian plan to manipulate vote counts.
• 2 Sept 2016 — FBI asks that a forthcoming pre‑election assessment be “softened” because bureau analysts are “uncomfortable” implying Russia intends to disrupt the election.
• 12 Sept 2016 — I.C. publishes the cyber‑threat ICA concluding adversaries cannot covertly overturn the vote.
• 7 Oct 2016 — ODNI/DHS press release blames Russia for DNC hacks but omits that FBI and NSA had “low confidence” in that attribution.
• 7 Dec 2016 — Draft PDB reiterates that Russia did not tamper with election infrastructure; FBI abruptly withdraws, and a senior official quashes the product.
• 8 Dec 2016 — I.C. officials plan to publish the PDB the next day due to “high administration interest,” knowing Russian actors “did not impact recent U.S. election results.” Hours later, the FBI withdraws, announces it will draft a dissent, and a senior PDB editor cancels the brief “based on new guidance.”
• 9 Dec 2016 — Obama convenes National Security Council principals — including John Brennan, Susan Rice, Loretta Lynch, and Andrew McCabe — and orders a new ICA. That same day, two “blatantly false leaks” reach The Washington Post, alleging that Russia hacked the vote and that the CIA concluded that Moscow had intervened to elect Trump.
• 14 Dec 2016 through late Dec 2016 — Leaks continue claiming Vladimir Putin was “personally involved.” Obama continued to push the narrative that Russia could be involved. Asks Putin to “knock it off.” An ODNI whistle‑blower who challenges the narrative is sidelined and pressured to accept the finding that Russia preferred Trump, a position he writes he “could not concur with in good conscience.”
• 6 Jan 2017 — The unclassified ICA is released, asserting that Putin ordered an influence campaign to help Trump — contradicting months of I.C. reporting and relying in part on the Steele dossier.
See special report by Broken Truth here.🧵 Americans will finally learn the truth about how in 2016, intelligence was politicized and weaponized by the most powerful people in the Obama Administration to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President @realDonaldTrump, subverting the… pic.twitter.com/UQKKZ5c4Op
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) July 18, 2025
