logo
Obama, Russia, and a coup? DNI Tulsi Gabbard claims plot to derail Donald Trump's 2016 win

Obama, Russia, and a coup? DNI Tulsi Gabbard claims plot to derail Donald Trump's 2016 win

Time of India6 days ago
Tulsi Gabbard
, the current
US Director of National Intelligence
, has ignited a political firestorm by accusing former President Barack Obama and senior members of his administration of orchestrating a "treasonous conspiracy" during the 2016 election aftermath.
Speaking on Friday, Gabbard said her office had uncovered "overwhelming evidence" that high-ranking officials manipulated intelligence to justify the Trump–Russia investigation. These claims were laid out in newly declassified documents, which she says will be handed to the Department of Justice for criminal referral.
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Select a Course Category
Cybersecurity
Technology
Artificial Intelligence
Data Science
CXO
MCA
Healthcare
Degree
others
Design Thinking
Product Management
PGDM
Management
Others
healthcare
Digital Marketing
Leadership
Data Analytics
Project Management
Public Policy
Finance
Data Science
Operations Management
MBA
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
10 Months
MIT xPRO
CERT-MIT xPRO PGC in Cybersecurity
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
'No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, to ensure nothing like this ever happens again,' Gabbard said in an official statement.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
20 Most Expensive Cars In The World
LuxYouDesire.com
Undo
A high-level meeting and a shift in narrative
According to the documents released by Gabbard, the turning point came during a
National Security Council
meeting at the White House on 9 December 2016. Present at that meeting were former CIA Director John Brennan, DNI James Clapper, National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Secretary of State John Kerry, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
She contends that the meeting led to a new intelligence directive—ordered by Obama—to reassess Russia's role in the 2016 election. Following the meeting, Clapper's assistant reportedly instructed the CIA, FBI, NSA and DHS to prepare a revised Intelligence Community (IC) assessment "per the President's request".
Live Events
This assessment, released on 6 January 2017, suggested Russia interfered in the election to aid Donald Trump. But Gabbard says earlier internal findings did not support that conclusion.
'Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the US Presidential election outcome,' reads a 7 December 2016 internal memo cited in the report.
She claims the revised report ignored previous intelligence and relied instead on 'manufactured' sources, including the now-discredited Steele Dossier.
'Their goal was to subvert the will of the American people and enact what was essentially a years-long coup with the objective of trying to usurp the President from fulfilling the mandate bestowed upon him by the American people,' Gabbard said on social media.
False leaks and media influence
Gabbard further alleged that Obama-era officials leaked misleading claims to major news outlets to shape public opinion. She cited examples where statements were fed to publications such as The Washington Post, claiming Russia had attempted to interfere with or even influence the election outcome.
'Russia has attempted through cyber means to interfere in, if not actively influence, the outcome of an election,' she said, quoting one such claim.
Trump applauds, Democrats push back
Donald Trump quickly responded to Gabbard's claims, voicing his support through a post on Truth Social.
"Great job by young and talented Harrison Fields on FoxNews. The Panel was fantastic on prosecuting Obama and the 'thugs' who have just been unequivocally exposed on highest level Election Fraud. Congratulations to Tulsi Gabbard. Keep it coming!!!"
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers issued swift and sharp rebuttals.
Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said, 'The Senate Intelligence Committee conducted a bipartisan investigation reviewing hundreds of thousands of documents and interviewing witnesses over several years. The unanimous, bipartisan conclusion was that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Donald Trump. This is just another example of the DNI trying to cook the books, rewrite history, and erode trust in the intelligence agencies she's supposed to be leading.'
Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut also weighed in, 'Baseless accusations of treason are unfortunately par for the course for this Director of National Intelligence, but that doesn't make them any less damaging and unacceptable. The IC leaders in 2016 understood that they took an oath to the Constitution, not President Trump. I wish Director Gabbard could say the same.'
Layers of investigation and conflicting reports
Gabbard's claims arrive years after a slew of investigations into the Trump–Russia saga.
The Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Republicans during Trump's presidency, conducted a three-year investigation concluding that Russia did mount an aggressive effort to sway the 2016 election. It found numerous contacts between Trump campaign aides and Russian officials but stopped short of confirming coordination.
Former CIA Director John Ratcliffe also ordered a separate review. While that review criticised how the 2016 IC assessment was put together, it did not overturn its conclusions.
Additionally, the Department of Justice's internal watchdog and Special Counsel John Durham investigated the origins of the FBI's Russia probe. Durham's inquiry led to three indictments, including one FBI lawyer who admitted to falsifying details in a surveillance warrant. But overall, the probe found no systemic wrongdoing.
A deepening divide
Gabbard insists this issue cuts across party lines.
'The issue I am raising is not a partisan issue. It is one that concerns every American,' she said. 'The American people's faith and trust in our democratic republic and therefore the future of our nation depends on it.'
The Justice Department has not yet confirmed whether it will pursue the referrals. Clapper and Brennan did not respond to comment requests. James Comey declined to comment.
With both political camps entrenched, the release of these documents may reopen old wounds—but whether it leads to prosecutions remains uncertain.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Thailand warns of war with Cambodia, clashes enter day 2
Thailand warns of war with Cambodia, clashes enter day 2

Time of India

time6 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Thailand warns of war with Cambodia, clashes enter day 2

A convenience store at a gas station is damaged after Cambodia fired artillery shells in Sisaket province, Thailand (Pic credit: AP) Thailand warned its conflict with neighbouring Cambodia could "potentially develop into a war" as troops used rockets and artillery to shell targets along their contested border for a second day. Acting Thai PM Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters Friday that the severity of the clashes was escalating, endangering civilians, and Thailand was committed to defending its territory and sovereignty. "This situation could potentially develop into a war," Phumtham said. "At present, it is still considered an armed clash involving heavy weaponry." Cambodian PM Hun Manet said his country was ready for a ceasefire but accused Bangkok of backing out of a deal brokered by Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, as the current chair of regional group Asean. The truce had been set for early Friday, he said. A long-running border dispute between the two neighbours erupted into intense fighting with jets, artillery, tanks and ground troops on Thursday, and the UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis Friday. A steady thump of artillery strikes could be heard from the Cambodian side of the border Friday, where the province of Oddar Meanchey reported one civilian - a 70-year-old man - had been killed and five more wounded. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 20 Pieces of Clothing Older Women should Avoid Learn More Undo More than 138,000 people have been evacuated from Thailand's border regions, its health ministry said, reporting 15 fatalities - 14 civilians and a soldier - with a further 46 wounded, including 15 troops. Both sides have blamed each other for starting the conflict and on Friday ratcheted up the rhetoric, with Thailand accusing Cambodia of deliberately targeting civilians and Cambodia alleging Thailand was using cluster munitions, a controversial and widely condemned ordnance. While the US, China, and Malaysia have reached out to both parties, no country has publicly emerged yet as a mediator. Officials in Bangkok are intent on resolving the hostilities bilaterally, foreign ministry officials said Friday. "We do appreciate their kind offers and do not rule them all out," Russ Jalichandra, vice minister for foreign affairs, told Bloomberg News, adding that China, US and Malaysia had offered to help.

France will recognise Palestine state: Macron; 1st in G7 to do so
France will recognise Palestine state: Macron; 1st in G7 to do so

Time of India

time15 minutes ago

  • Time of India

France will recognise Palestine state: Macron; 1st in G7 to do so

French President Emmanuel Macron (Pic credit: AP) President Emmanuel Macron announced late Thursday that France would recognise the state of Palestine as part of "its historical commitment to a just and durable peace in the Middle East" (West Asia). In a surprise statement on social platform X that followed months of hints and hesitations, he said that he would make a formal announcement to that effect at the United Nations General Assembly in Sept in New York. "Today the most urgent thing is that the war in Gaza cease and the civilian population be helped," Macron said. His statement came as anger mounted across the world over the continued Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip and growing starvation there. France would become the first of the G7 nations to recognise a Palestinian state. PM Keir Starmer, after discussing with Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ways to pressure Israel to end its war in Gaza, said on Friday that he was focused on the "practical solutions". "Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that," he said. "But it must be part of a wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution..." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Germany too said it is not planning to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term. A govt spokesperson said, "Israel's security is of paramount importance to German govt." Hala Abou-Hassira, the Palestinian ambassador to France, applauded Macron's decision, saying that it demonstrated a France "faithful to its history, faithful to its policies, and faithful to international law." Other European states, including Spain, Ireland and Norway, recognised a Palestinian state last year, but the French decision is of a different order. France is home to the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in western Europe, and is the only nuclear power and only permanent member of the UNSC in the EU. About 144 of the 193 member states of the UN recognise Palestine as a state, including most of the global south as well as Russia, China, India. The UNGA approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in Nov 2012 by upgrading its observer status to "non-member state" from "entity."

Goa govt to legalise over 1 lakh houses existing prior to 1972
Goa govt to legalise over 1 lakh houses existing prior to 1972

Time of India

time17 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Goa govt to legalise over 1 lakh houses existing prior to 1972

Panaji: In a major decision to legalise houses in the state that are facing the threat of demolition, state govt on Friday issued two circulars. One was by the revenue department and the other by the directorate of panchayat, to legalise over one lakh illegal houses that existed prior to 1972 on any land. Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that these circulars do not give any ownership rights on the land, but they legalise the structure and clarify the land status. 'We are making houses legal. The revenue department will give sanand, and the panchayat will give status as legal,' he said. Sawant said that with these circulars, there is no need to bring any bills in the assembly. A few minutes before the press conference to announce the circulars, both Sawant and revenue minister Atanasio 'Babush' Monserrate made a statement on the floor of the House that govt will bring a bill to regularise the houses. Sawant said that to clear the confusion in villages about illegal structures, govt has issued two circulars. He said that if the house is shown on the survey plan but does not have any document, then the owner of the house should go to the deputy collector and apply for the sanad. He said that once the sanad is issued by the deputy collector under this circular, and in case the owner of the house needs to construct a new house, then the same sanad can be used. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo The circular said that the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968, has exempted all lands (survey holdings) situated in the settlement zone, as per the Regional Plan/Outline Development Plan, from the operation of provisions. This is provided the survey records of such survey show the existence of a structure on the said land, the total area of the survey holding does not exceed 1,000sqm, and the existing structure, as shown in the survey map, covers at least 25% of the total area of the said plot. However, govt found that in several cases, structures which are already in existence and are duly reflected in the records of rights (Form I and XIV) as well as in the survey plans prepared under the provisions of the Goa, Daman and Diu Land Revenue Code, 1968 (during the period 1970 to 1972) are being required to obtain a fresh conversion sanad at the time of reconstruction. 'This has led to certain ambiguities and inconsistent interpretations across departments regarding the applicability of the conversion provisions under the Goa Land Revenue Code, 1968,' govt said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store