Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Sunday again decried what she called a “treasonous conspiracy” directed in 2016 by then-President Barack Obama against Donald Trump. Gabbard’s allegation pertains to the claim, promoted by Obama officials, that Russia interfered in that year’s election to elect Trump.
Gabbard had issued a report on Friday which found that the Obama White House, to delegitimize Trump, manipulated intelligence on Russian interference. She said in a statement the same day that she would provide relevant documents to the Department of Justice. “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,” the statement said.
Gabbard’s latest comments, which aired in an interview on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, add more fuel to the controversy and further indicate the Trump White House could prosecute key Obama officials, including former DNI James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, and perhaps even the former president himself.
Asked by host Maria Bartiromo whether “we will ever see anyone held accountable,” Gabbard answered, “I will do all that I can.”
The Friday report said there was “no indication of a Russian threat to directly manipulate the actual vote count.” Critics, including Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), say the report conflates that issue with broader influence operations intended to sway public opinion. “The Russians were not successful at manipulating our election infrastructure, nor did we say they were,” Warner told the New York Times on Friday.
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