Trump Claims Obama Officials Politicized Intelligence on Russia’s Election Interference

Washington, D.C. – President Donald Trump responded Friday to reports indicating that former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey are under criminal investigation concerning the Russia probe. The claims emerged following the declassification of documents revealing potential misconduct by officials during the Obama administration.

Trump alleged that the Obama administration ‘manufactured and politicized intelligence’ to falsely assert that Russia influenced the 2016 presidential election. He called for accountability, stating, ‘No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted.’

In documents released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), it was shown that assessments from the intelligence community prior to the election indicated that ‘Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent U.S. election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure.’

On December 8, 2016, a Presidential Daily Brief prepared for then-President Obama stated, ‘Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the U.S. presidential election outcome.’ The brief assessed that while Russian hackers compromised some voter registration databases, it was ‘highly unlikely’ these actions would alter official vote results.

Tulsi Gabbard, current Director of National Intelligence, supported these assertions in her comments, claiming, ‘There was a treasonous conspiracy in 2016 committed by officials at the highest level of our government.’ She indicated that the documents would be submitted to the Department of Justice for further investigation.

The investigation into Brennan and Comey was referred by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who highlighted that Brennan had promoted the discredited Steele dossier as part of the Intelligence Community Assessment in 2017. The dossier had formed a significant basis for the Trump–Russia probe.

Brennan has yet to respond to the allegations, while Comey has maintained that the FBI was justified in its investigations. In reaction to the latest developments, Trump remarked, ‘I believe they are truly bad people and dishonest people. So, whatever happens, happens.’