Gabbard Threatens Prosecution Over Russia Intelligence Claims

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced on Friday that she may refer Obama administration officials to the Justice Department for prosecution regarding the intelligence assessment of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. This action continues a trend of officials pursuing perceived adversaries of President Donald Trump.

Gabbard declassified documents she claims show the Obama administration’s intelligence officials “manufactured and politicized intelligence” to initiate the FBI’s Russia investigation into Trump. She stated, “I am turning over all documents to the DOJ for criminal referral,” but did not mention specific officials.

Earlier in July, CNN reported that the FBI is investigating former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey on possible false statements to Congress, based on a referral from current CIA Director John Ratcliffe. This inquiry also pertains to the intelligence assessment about Russia’s election interference.

Both Gabbard and Ratcliffe have publicly shared documents intended to challenge the intelligence community’s 2017 findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election to support Trump against Hillary Clinton. This conclusion has fueled Trump’s distrust of the intelligence community.

Democrats criticized Gabbard’s actions, describing them as an effort to “rewrite history.” Virginia Senator Mark Warner, top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, remarked, “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.”

Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, also condemned Gabbard’s accusations, labeling them “baseless” and reaffirming the findings of the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee that confirmed Russian interference.

The FBI’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia began in 2016 and underwent scrutiny from the Justice Department’s inspector general and special counsel John Durham, appointed by Attorney General Bill Barr. Durham’s investigation concluded without finding wrongdoing regarding the handling of intelligence, but led to indictments, including one of a former FBI lawyer for falsifying information.