Tulsi Gabbard said Wednesday she has referred “and will continue to refer” recently released documents exposing Obama’s role in the Russia collusion hoax to the Department of Justice and the FBI for investigation into their “criminal implications.”
Gabbard declassified a 2020 House report on Wednesday that shows, in part, how Obama officials “ignored” intel information that did not align with the narrative Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump. This comes days after Gabbard declassified an initial collection of documents showing how the Obama administration “manufactured” intelligence behind the hoax.
During a Wednesday White House press briefing, Gabbard said Obama “may be implicated in criminal conduct,” journalist Emily Jashinsky reported. Jashinsky asked Gabbard whether “any of this new information implicates former Obama in criminal behavior.”
“We have referred and will continue to refer all of these documents to the [DOJ] and the FBI to investigate the criminal implications of this,” Gabbard said.
“For even former President Obama?” Jashinsky followed up, to which Gabbard replied, “Correct.”
“The evidence that we found and that we have released directly point to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment,” Gabbard said. “There are multiple pieces of evidence and intelligence that confirm that fact.”
Trump accused Obama of “treason” in the Oval Office on Tuesday. A spokesman for Obama responded to Trump’s statement, saying, “These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” NBC News reported.
When Gabbard was asked if she believes Obama is guilty of treason, she said, “I am leaving the criminal charges to the [DOJ].”
“I am not an attorney, but … when you look at the intent behind creating a fake, manufactured intelligence document that directly contradicts multiple assessments that were created by the intelligence community,” she added, “the expressed intent and what followed afterward can only be described as a yearslong coup and a treasonous conspiracy against the American people, our republic, and an attempt to undermine President Trump’s administration.”
Fox News reported on Monday that the DOJ “receive[d] Gabbard’s criminal referral” regarding claims the “Obama admin ‘manufactured’ [the] Russian collusion hoax.”
On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced the creation of a Strike Force “to assess the evidence publicized” by Gabbard “and investigate potential next legal steps which might stem from DNI Gabbard’s disclosures.”
“The Department of Justice is proud to work with my friend Director Gabbard and we are grateful for her partnership in delivering accountability for the American people. We will investigate these troubling disclosures fully and leave no stone unturned to deliver justice,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.
Abigail Nichols is a correspondent for The Federalist. She was previously the opinion editor for the University of South Florida's student newspaper, The Oracle. She is now working as the business manager at the University of North Florida's student-run media outlet, Spinnaker Media, while obtaining a Master's Degree in Social work.