Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard on Friday released what she called “overwhelming evidence” showing former President Barack Obama and his national security team “manufactured and politicized intelligence” after President Donald Trump’s 2016 victory.
The newly declassified file arrives after a bruising, years-long saga over allegations that President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia to sway the election. Investigators ultimately failed to prove collusion, fueling scrutiny of how the probe was launched and whether federal agencies acted fairly. (RELATED: Trump Compares ‘Jeffrey Epstein Hoax’ To Russiagate, Blasts ‘Past’ Supporters)
The DNI statement said that this “new assessment was based on information that was known by those involved to be manufactured,” referring to the Steele Dossier, which was a privately funded and unverified report alleging Trump-Russia ties.
Not only did the file show that there was no evidence that Trump was working as a Russian asset, but that there was no evidence at the time that Russia intended to manipulate the election “by using cyber means” or by “directly manipulate the actual vote count.”
“This was politicized intelligence that was used as the basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump’s victory, the years-long Mueller investigation, two Congressional impeachments, high level officials being investigated, arrested, and thrown in jail, heightened US-Russia tensions, and more,” the statement continued.
🧵 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
“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. “Their egregious abuse of power and blatant rejection of our Constitution threatens the very foundation and integrity of our democratic republic.” (RELATED: Tulsi Gabbard Accuses Media Of Taking Her Out Of Context After Trump Addresses Iran Assessment)
“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 continued. “The American people’s faith and trust in our democratic republic and therefore the future of our nation depends on it. As such, I am providing all documents to the Department of Justice to deliver the accountability that President Trump, his family, and the American people deserve.”
The full scope of the files released Friday remains unclear. This is a developing story and will be updated.