Latest news with #HouseIntel
Indian Express
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
US Justice Department open probe into Obama officials over allegation of Russian interference in 2016 polls
US Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered federal prosecutors to launch a grand jury investigation into allegations that members of the former Democratic President Barack Obama's administration manufactured intelligence on Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential elections. Also known as the 'Russiagate conspiracy', President Donald Trump had long claimed that the claims of Russian intervention in the 2016 elections was conspired by his political opponents in order to smear his image. However, it remains to be seen what could be the charges levelled in the probe and who would be charged in the 'Russiagate' investigation. Bondi has directed a prosecutor to present evidence to a grand jury after referrals from the Trump administration's top intelligence official, Associated Press reported on Monday. 🧵 New evidence has emerged of the most egregious weaponization and politicization of intelligence in American history. Per President @realDonaldTrump's directive, I have declassified a @HouseIntel oversight majority staff report that exposes how the Obama Administration… — DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) July 23, 2025 The Justice Department had said in July that they are going to form a strike force to assess claims made by the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard about 'alleged weaponization of the US intelligence community.' Gabbard accused Obama and his national security team of a 'years-long coup' against Trump while releasing a declassified report which the Democrats claimed was false. Gabbard alleged that intelligence inputs about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election was politicised by the White House then led by the Obama administration to falsely link Trump with Russia. Trump reacted to the revelations made by the National Intelligence director and accused Obama of 'treason'. A spokesperson for Obama had called the claims 'bizarre' and said 'the allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' Democrats discredited the findings released by Gabbard and said nothing invalidated a US intelligence assessment in January 2017, which said that Russia had sought to damage Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign and boost Trump's campaign three months prior to voting in 2016. The assessment concluded that the actual impact of Russia's meddling with 2016 polls were limited and had no evidence to show if Moscow's efforts actually changed voting outcomes. However, Russia had denied it played any role during the 2016 US presidential elections.
Mint
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Explosive report fuels Trump's call for Hillary Clinton to ‘pay a big price' over Russia hoax
US President Donald Trump intensified calls for prosecutions over the "Russia hoax" after Thursday's release of a declassified Durham report annex alleging Hillary Clinton's campaign planned to smear him with unverified Russia collusion claims in 2016. On Truth Social, Trump declared the 24-page document proves the scandal is "TOTALLY UNDISPUTED" and "the biggest in American History," demanding perpetrators "pay a big price" . The annex, released by Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, details emails suggesting Clinton approved a strategy to "distract people from her own missing email" by amplifying Russia-Trump allegations. This follows July's release of a House Intel report questioning CIA methods behind the 2017 Russia assessment. The Durham annex cites emails attributed to Open Society Foundations' Leonard Benardo describing a plot allegedly hatched by Clinton foreign policy adviser Julianne Smith. One July 2016 email claims Smith devised a "long-term affair to demonize Putin and Trump," while another states "HRC approved Julia's idea" to frame Russian hacking as election interference. Benardo told investigators he didn't recall the emails, while Open Society dismissed them as 'malicious disinformation traced to Russian intelligence'. Durham noted the emails appeared to be Russian-hacked composites from U.S. think tanks. The documents allege Obama administration officials enabled the narrative: A March 2016 memo claims President Obama "sanctioned administrative levers" to protect Clinton's email investigation and pressured then-FBI Director James Comey through Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Durham found former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe shared Clinton campaign memos with DOJ officials in 2016, potentially laying groundwork for investigations. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard—who last week accused Obama of a 'treasonous conspiracy', stated the annex reveals 'a coordinated plan to destroy Donald Trump's presidency'. However, critics note Durham's report admits investigators couldn't verify if the Benardo emails were "genuine," "exaggerated," or 'fabricated'. Senator Chuck Grassley hailed the release as exposing "one of the biggest political scandals in American history," while Bondi pledged continued transparency. According to an Al Jazeera report, Obama's office dismissed Gabbard's earlier claims as "bizarre," maintaining Russia's 2016 interference remains 'widely accepted'. Former prosecutor Peter Baker warned the "evil" rhetoric risks normalizing dangerous politicization, citing Trump's recent AI-generated video of Obama in handcuffs . With Trump vowing prosecutions, this 9-year-old election battle now fuels fresh Washington warfare .
