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The Department of Justice on Monday confirmed it has received a criminal referral from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who alleges former President Barack Obama and members of his national security team orchestrated a longtime effort to undermine President Donald Trump following the 2016 election.
The referral, submitted Friday, accuses senior Obama-era officials of initiating what Gabbard described as a “treasonous conspiracy” intended to block Trump from carrying out the mandate given to him by American voters after Trump defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race.
“The issue I am raising is not a partisan issue,” Gabbard said in a public statement accompanying a highly redacted, declassified report posted online.
“It is one that concerns every American. The information we are releasing today clearly shows there was a treasonous conspiracy in 2016 committed by officials at the highest level of our government. … As such, I am providing all documents to the Department of Justice to deliver the accountability that President Trump, his family, and the American people deserve,” she continued.
Gabbard claimed the objective of the alleged conspiracy was to “usurp the President” and prevent him from implementing his agenda.
The referral has reignited criticism of the FBI’s handling of politically sensitive investigations. On Monday, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, accused former FBI Director James Comey of showing bias in pursuing the now-discredited Steele Dossier while downplaying the investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server.
“NEWLY-DECLASSIFIED DOC shows DOJ Inspector Gen concluded the Comey-run FBI FAILED 2 conduct a thorough + complete investigation into Clinton email scandal,” Grassley posted on X. “Comey & his team ate up Steele Dossier lies + chased after Russia collusion hoax but took kid gloves approach on Clinton.”
The declassified documents released alongside Gabbard’s referral indicate that in the months before the 2016 election, the intelligence community believed Russia was “probably not trying … to influence the election by using cyber means.” That position reportedly changed after Trump’s victory.
According to the report, on Dec. 9, 2016, Obama convened senior National Security Council officials, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, to discuss Russian activities. Clapper’s executive assistant later directed intelligence officials to produce a new assessment “per the President’s request” detailing “the tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.”
