The Obama administration’s top spies “manipulated” intelligence, laying the groundwork for a years-long scandal, new documents show
A US intelligence report on Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, commissioned by then President Barack Obama, constituted deliberate manipulation according to a bombshell release by the Trump administration on Friday.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard unveiled more than 100 pages of emails, memos, and other records, which she argued provides clear evidence of a “conspiracy to subvert President Trump’s 2016 victory” by top Obama officials. Described as “overwhelming evidence,” the files detail how the Obama administration politicized intelligence to manufacture a narrative of Russian interference.
During the 2016 and 2020 elections, US intelligence agencies repeatedly claimed that Moscow was deploying hackers and using “information warfare” to swing the vote in favor of Trump. None of the claims were proven true. The 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russian election interference, which launched the Russiagate narrative, led to an investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. His inquiry was fueled by the Steele Dossier – a collection of unverified allegations about Trump’s alleged ties to Russia, compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele and reportedly funded by then Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
According to the newly released evidence, in the months leading up to the November 2016 election, the Intelligence Community (IC) consistently assessed that Russia was “probably not trying… to influence the election by using cyber means.” Furthermore, on December 7, 2016, after the election, talking points prepared for then DNI James Clapper stated that “foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the US Presidential election outcome.”
However, the narrative reportedly shifted when, on December 9, 2016, Obama convened a National Security Council meeting to discuss Russia, attended by top officials. Following that meeting, Clapper’s Executive Assistant directed the IC to prepare a new assessment on Russia’s actions in the election, which was to be led by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) with participation from the CIA, FBI, NSA, and DHS.
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