Latest news with #IntelligenceCommunityAssessment
Canada News.Net
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Gabbard calls for probe into 2016 election intelligence leak claims
WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has caused a significant stir by demanding that former President Barack Obama and several of his top national security officials be prosecuted. She accuses them of trying to wrongly discredit Donald Trump's 2016 election win. In a press statement, Gabbard claimed that Obama and his team carried out an extended plan to remove Trump by creating false intelligence reports that said Russia had interfered in the election. At the center of her claim is the Steele dossier—a report made by former British spy Christopher Steele—which Gabbard says the Obama administration used even though they knew it was unreliable. She said: "The documents we are sharing today clearly show that top government officials tried to go against the will of the American people and remove a legally elected president. Everyone involved must be fully investigated and punished by law." Gabbard, who used to be a Democratic congresswoman and has often criticized U.S. foreign policy, said she has given key documents to the Department of Justice. These include an older, partly censored intelligence report on 2016 election cyber threats and several memos, including ones written by James Clapper, who was Obama's intelligence chief. Gabbard named Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, Secretary of State John Kerry, National Security Adviser Susan Rice, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, and Obama himself as part of what she calls a conspiracy. Her claims are bringing fresh attention to the beginnings of the Russia investigation—something Trump has consistently called a "hoax." Gabbard's report says earlier intelligence did not expect Russian interference, but that later leaks and news reports changed the narrative after Trump won. One memo from December 9, 2016, says some intelligence officials gave false or misleading information to the media to make it look like Russia had a substantial effect on the election. Gabbard claims that earlier reports actually doubted Russia's ability or intent to hack the election. She also says that the final public Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), released on January 6, 2017, partly relied on the Steele dossier to support the idea that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted Trump to beat Hillary Clinton. The Steele dossier, which included some unproven claims about Trump and Russia, helped launch Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mueller's report later confirmed that Russia did interfere in the election in a significant way, but did not find enough proof that Trump's team worked with Moscow. Gabbard's appointment as intelligence chief was controversial. She had no background in intelligence, and some of her past comments seemed supportive of Russia. Critics point to her statements about Vladimir Putin and her views on the war in Ukraine as signs she shares some of the Kremlin's ideas. Gabbard is now focusing again on how the Russia investigation began. This comes at a time when Trump and his allies are also pushing to reveal more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while facing sex trafficking charges. Trump has accused several Obama-era officials—including James Comey and Joe Biden—of using the Russia probe and other issues to attack him and cover up their own actions.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘It's just wildly misleading': Why the administration's latest allegations about the Russia investigation don't add up
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified and released new intelligence documents Friday that she claimed were evidence of a 'treasonous conspiracy' by top Obama administration officials to manufacture the notion that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. But the allegations conflate and misrepresent what the intelligence community actually concluded, according to a review of a GOP-led Senate investigation from 2020 and interviews with congressional sources familiar with the probe. The newly unsealed documents do nothing to undercut the government's core findings in its 2017 assessment that Russia launched an influence and hacking campaign and sought to help Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton, the sources said. The new allegations from Gabbard lean on assessments before the election and statements from Obama-era intelligence officials finding that the Russians did not alter the election results through cyber-attacks aimed at infiltrating voting systems. But the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment never concluded that Russian cyberattacks altered the outcome of the 2016 election or compromised any election infrastructure in the first place, though state voting systems were probed. Instead, the assessment focused on Russia's influence campaign ordered by President Vladimir Putin and cyber operations against US and Democratic Party officials, including the hacked emails released by WikiLeaks. 'These are two different things — cyberattacks on infrastructure and hacking the DNC — which they're conflating in an attempt to make a political point,' said a former senior congressional source familiar with the Senate review. 'It's just wildly misleading on its face.' In 2020, a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee review agreed with the intelligence community's conclusions on Russia's election interference and Putin's role directing the effort. Multiple congressional sources familiar with the Senate report said that Gabbard is trying to lean on intelligence assessments that no voting systems were breached to falsely make a broader leap that a Russian influence and cyber campaign did not occur. The Senate review included interviews with the intelligence analysts who drafted the report, none of whom reported any political interference, the congressional sources said. Gabbard's office did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Intel assessment sparked Trump's distrust of 'deep state' Gabbard's declassified document release is only the latest example of Trump administration officials trying to rewrite the history of the Russia investigation during the president's first six months in office. Last month, CIA Director John Ratcliffe also released a review that criticized the intelligence community's conclusion that Putin sought to help Trump, which he said was reached 'through an atypical & corrupt process.' Ratcliffe referred former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey to the Justice Department, which is now investigating, CNN previously reported. Gabbard also threatened on Friday to refer Obama officials to the Department of Justice for potential prosecution. Trump and his allies have spent years trying to denigrate all aspects of the Russia investigation, which consumed much of the first two years of Trump's first term – including the 2017 intelligence assessment; special counsel Robert Mueller's probe and the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation; and the infamous dossier written by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, which was funded by the Clinton campaign and alleged coordination between the Russian government and people associated with the Trump campaign. Trump touted Gabbard's findings over the weekend, reposting videos of Gabbard speaking on Fox Business and memes of former President Barack Obama and his top officials in prison jumpsuits. Earlier this year, Trump declassified and released redacted documents from a binder that the White House compiled in 2020 criticizing the FBI's probe, including the bureau's errors in relying on the dossier to obtain foreign surveillance warrants on a Trump adviser. '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!!!' Trump posted on Truth Social Monday evening. The January 2017 intelligence assessment, released days before Trump took office, was a key first step in turning Trump against the 'deep state.' He's long disputed the conclusion that Putin and the Russian government aspired to help him win, believing it undermined the legitimacy of his 2016 victory. A 2018 report by the GOP-led House Intelligence Committee disputed the tradecraft behind the conclusion that Putin tried to help Trump. Ratcliffe was a member of that committee at the time, and FBI Director Kash Patel was a top aide on the panel. Ratcliffe's review last month did not dispute the intelligence community's finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Allegations tied to Steele dossier Gabbard alleged that the intelligence assessment on Russian interference relied on the Steele dossier and was used by the Obama White House to 'subvert the will of the American people.' In an 11-page memo accompanying the declassified documents, Gabbard cites emails from intelligence officials and an earlier September 2016 intelligence assessment stating that foreign adversaries don't have the capability to 'covertly overturn the vote outcome.' The memo points to talking points in December 2016 for then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, stating: 'Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the US Presidential election outcome.' Gabbard's memo alleges that when the January 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian interference was released, it 'falsely alleges, based in part on 'further information' that had 'come to light' since the election, that Putin directed an effort to help President Trump defeat Hillary Clinton.' 'This 'further information' is later confirmed to be the Steele Dossier,' the memo states. But congressional sources took issue with both of her claims: The intelligence community conclusion of a Putin-directed campaign was not evidence that the election outcome had been altered, they said, and the committee's interviews with the analysts who drafted the assessment said that the Steele dossier did not inform its analysis. There was an internal debate about whether the dossier should be part of the assessment or a separate annex, but the CIA insisted it be kept out of the report, according to the committee's report. 'All individuals the Committee interviewed stated that the Steele material did not in any way inform the analysis in the ICA — including the key judgments — because it was unverified information and had not been disseminated as serialized intelligence reporting,' the committee report states. Gabbard's memo claims the dossier was involved in the assessment on the basis of an 'ODNI whistleblower,' who had worked previously on election interference and said they were sidelined on the January 2017 Russia document. The memo states that the whistleblower was 'shocked' to be told in helping to respond to a 2019 Freedom of Information Act request that the dossier was 'a factor' in the intelligence assessment. But the email that's cited in the memo merely states that the dossier was a factor because it was an annex to the intelligence assessment — there's no suggestion that means it was involved in the crafting of the analysis itself. Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that the panel's investigation resulted in a 'unanimous, bipartisan conclusion' that Putin interfered in 2016 to benefit 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,' Warner said.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Tulsi Gabbard ‘cannot fathom' how Durham, Mueller missed evidence of ‘years-long coup' against Trump
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (DNI) was baffled by how special counsels run by Robert Mueller and John Durham missed evidence of what she alleged was a 'years-long coup against President Trump.' On Friday, Gabbard's team made public over 100 pages of memos, emails, and other material that revealed the Obama administration had quietly concluded Russia didn't impact the 2016 election's vote totals via cyberattacks. Gabbard has cited those documents as evidence of a 'treasonous conspiracy' by the Obama administration to amplify 'manufactured intelligence that claims that Russia had helped' Trump win the election and called for former officials to be prosecuted. 'I really cannot fathom [it],' Gabbard told Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures' about why Durham and Mueller didn't highlight the evidence her team found. 'There is no rational or logical explanation for why they failed.' 'The only logical conclusion that I can draw in this … is that there was direct intent to cover up the truth about what occurred and who was responsible and the broad network of how this seditious conspiracy was concocted and who exactly was responsible for carrying it out.' 4 Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released documents last week that shed new light on Russiagate. FOX NEWS 4 John Durham had eviscerated the FBI's handling of its Russia probe into the 2016 Trump campaign. AP The DNI refrained from explicitly accusing either Durham or Mueller of having the 'intent to cover up the truth.' Among the stark findings Gabbard's team unearthed after months of investigation was a Sept. 12, 2016, Intelligence Community Assessment that 'foreign adversaries do not have and will probably not obtain the capabilities to successfully execute widespread and undetected cyber attacks' on election systems. Intelligence officials at the time accused Russia of setting up troll farms and hacking the Democratic National Committee email servers and leaking information to the public. Russian cyber intruders also allegedly infiltrated the Republican National Committee but reportedly refrained from leaking that information. Through the 2016 campaign and much of his first administration, a steady stream of leaks regarding Russiagate haunted Trump and led to the Mueller investigation, which concluded the Russians meddled in the 2016 election via propaganda and other means in a 'sweeping and systemic fashion.' 4 Robert Mueller ultimately found insufficient evidence that members of the 2016 Trump campaign were involved in a grand conspiracy revolving around Russia. Getty Images The Mueller probe ultimately found insufficient evidence that any member of the 2016 Trump campaign had been 'taking part in a criminal conspiracy' revolving around Russia. Towards the end of his first term, former US Attorney General Bill Barr appointed Durham to examine the origins of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation — the bureau's probe of links between Russia and the 2016 campaign — as well as the Mueller inquiry. Durham wrapped up that review in 2023, which tore into the bureau's handling of the probe into Trump. 'I don't know what excuse there is for those who supposedly investigated this previously, whether it was Durham or others, that they were not able to put together the dots and ultimately show the truth to the American people,' the DNI added at another point. Gabbard stressed that Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel will have to gather the evidence and decide whether to press charges. Still, she vowed to do 'all that I can' to ensure accountability and argued in favor of prosecuting former intelligence officials involved. 'There must be indictments of those responsible, no matter how powerful they are and were at that time, no matter who was involved in creating this treasonous conspiracy against the American people. They all must be held accountable,' Gabbard declared. 4 Tulsi Gabbard has teased that more information on Russiagate is coming. FOX NEWS 'For the American people to have any sense of trust in the integrity of our democratic republic, accountability, action, prosecution, [and] indictments for those who are responsible for trying to steal our democracy is essential for us to make sure that this never happens to our country again,' she later added. The DNI, who oversees coordination between 18 intelligence agencies, teased that more information will be coming next week and that some whistleblowers are stepping forward because they are 'disgusted by what happened.' 'The effect of what President Obama and his senior national security team did was subvert the will of the American people, undermining our democratic republic, and enacting what would be essentially a years-long coup against President Trump,' Gabbard added. Gabbard's public disclosures about the intelligence community's Russiagate machinations come weeks after speculation that there had been daylight between her and Trump over his decision to bomb Iran. The DNI has historically been dovish on foreign policy and skeptical of elements of the intelligence community. Earlier this year, she testified that 'the IC [intelligence community] continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.' She later argued that her words had been misconstrued by the media and pointed to another portion of her testimony where she warned about Iran's uranium enrichment levels. Trump has been eager to revisit the Russiagate drama and had named Ed Martin to serve as the director of a Weaponization Working Group to tackle it and other similar matters. Critics have argued that Gabbard has been trying to confuse the public by focusing on evidence that Russia didn't hack the 2016 election and glossing over evidence that the Kremlin tried to meddle in the election via other means, such as internet troll farms. 'What you saw from the DNI was not just a lie but a very dangerous lie,' Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, fumed to CBS News' 'Face the Nation' Sunday. 'The Senate committee then led by Marco Rubio found unanimously that Russia meddled in the election to try to assist Donald Trump,' he added. 'What Tulsi is doing is a sleight of hand.'
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Obama to face treason charges over Russia collusion ‘hoax'? Tulsi Gabbard drops bombshell
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, in a newly declassified report on Friday, alleged that several Obama administration officials 'manipulated and withheld' key intelligence related to the possibility of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Gabbard also called for criminal prosecution, saying officials should be investigated for 'treasonous conspiracy'. Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama talk at the memorial service for Ethel Kennedy (REUTERS) Gabbard said that former President Barack Obama's administration knew before and after President Donald Trump's first election win that Russia did not affect the outcome through cyberattacks. She added that all documents will be provided to the Justice Department 'to deliver the accountability that President [Donald] Trump, his family, and the American people deserve'. '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 the statement. Gabbard's memo named former DNI James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey, among others. A September 12, 2016, document included an Intelligence Community Assessment that determined 'foreign adversaries do not have and will probably not obtain the capabilities to successfully execute widespread and undetected cyber attacks'. Later that year, Clapper's office said: 'Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the US Presidential election outcome. We have no evidence of cyber manipulation of election infrastructure intended to alter results.' Clapper, Brennan and Comey have not commented on the new revelations. When Can One Be Charged with Treason in the United States? In the United States, treason is defined under Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution and codified in 18 U.S.C. § 2381. A person can be charged with treason if they: Levy war against the United States, or, adhere to its enemies, giving them aid and comfort. The individual must commit a tangible act, such as organizing or participating in armed rebellion or providing material support to a designated enemy. There must be clear intent to betray the U.S., demonstrated through actions or statements. The Constitution requires two witnesses to the same overt act or a confession in open court for conviction. Rep Jim Himes accused Gabbard of 'rehashing decade-old false claims about the Obama Administration'. '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," he said.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Obama admin aimed to usurp Trump': DNI Tulsi Gabbard reopens 2016 election probe; vows to hand over all documents to DOJ
US director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has called for the prosecution of former President Barack Obama and senior members of his administration. The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) has accused them of working together to hurt Donald Trump 's win in the 2016 election and damage his presidency afterward. 'We are turning over all documents to the DOJ for criminal referral,' Gabbard wrote on X. 'Their goal was to usurp President Trump and subvert the will of the American people.' — DNIGabbard (@DNIGabbard) In a statement released Friday, Gabbard said there is "overwhelming evidence" showing that after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, Obama and his national security cabinet "manufactured and politicised intelligence" to lay the foundation for what she described as a years-long coup attempt. 'The issue I am raising is not a partisan issue. It is one that concerns every American,' Gabbard said. 'The information we are releasing today clearly shows there was a treasonous conspiracy in 2016 committed by officials at the highest level of our government.' Powerful people mentioned in the statement Gabbard announced that all related documents would be handed over to the department of justice for criminal referral, urging that 'no matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The statement names top officials, including then-DNI James Clapper, CIA director John Brennan, national security adviser Susan Rice, secretary of state John Kerry, attorney general Loretta Lynch, and FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe among those who participated in a high-level National Security Council meeting on December 9, 2016, at the White House. Gabbard alleges that this meeting was used to initiate a new Intelligence Community (IC) assessment at Obama's request, aimed at blaming Russia for interfering in the election. According to Gabbard, before the election, intelligence assessments had concluded that Russia was 'probably not trying … to influence the election by using cyber means'. An internal memo dated December 7, 2016 also stated, 'Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the US Presidential election outcome.' However, following the White House meeting, Clapper's executive assistant reportedly directed agencies including the CIA, FBI, NSA and DHS to help prepare a fresh IC assessment on Russian interference, stating it was 'per the President's request'. Gabbard accused Obama officials of leaking 'false statements' to media outlets like The Washington Post, falsely claiming that Russia had interfered to influence the outcome of the election. A final Intelligence Community Assessment released on January 6, 2017, reportedly contradicted months of previous findings. She claimed that this new assessment relied on sources that officials knew were unreliable or 'manufactured', such as the now-discredited Steele Dossier. Gabbard said that this led to a wave of consequences, including the Mueller investigation, two impeachments of Trump, arrests of high-level officials, and heightened tensions with Russia. 'Their egregious abuse of power and blatant rejection of our Constitution threatens the very foundation and integrity of our democratic republic,' Gabbard said. 'The American people's faith and trust in our democratic republic and therefore the future of our nation depends on it.' Gabbard's move comes amid growing Republican scrutiny of the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, and follows the recent release of new intelligence records under her office.
