Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declared on Fox News that newly declassified documents provide sufficient grounds to prosecute former President Barack Obama and senior administration officials over the Russia collusion narrative pushed after the 2016 election.
Gabbard said the evidence shows top Obama national security advisers “manufactured and politicized intelligence” in order to justify the FBI’s investigation into alleged Russia-Trump ties—setting the stage for what she called a “treasonous conspiracy”.
“There must be indictments for those responsible, no matter how powerful they are,” Gabbard said, adding she is formally referring the matter to the Department of Justice for potential criminal charges.
Criminal Referrals Underway
Gabbard confirmed she is formally referring Obama administration officials to the Department of Justice as part of a criminal investigation.
“We’re going to provide everything that we have… to the Department of Justice for that direct purpose,” she said.
“In my view, we have the evidence to be able to move forward to prosecute and indict those responsible.”
Gabbard emphasized that her goal is accountability, and she warned against allowing political status to protect those who allegedly abused power to interfere in an election.
Background: The Setup
According to the newly released documents, senior Obama-era officials allegedly manipulated intelligence assessments to falsely portray Russia as interfering to help Trump—setting off years of political investigations and media hysteria.
These assessments were central to the launch of Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI’s now-debunked investigation into Trump-Russia collusion, later exposed by Special Counsel John Durham as baseless and politically driven.
Democrats Lash Out
Democrats swiftly condemned Gabbard’s move. Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, called the criminal referrals “dangerous” and “dishonest.”
“When you start throwing around language like ‘sedition’ and ‘treason,’ somebody is going to get hurt,” Himes warned on CBS’s Face the Nation.
Himes defended the intelligence community, claiming they “do their jobs every single day,” and rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing.
