A growing wave of allegations is reigniting the “Russia Gate” controversy, now accusing the Obama administration of manufacturing intelligence to undermine Donald Trump’s 2016 election victory.
Recent headlines have only touched the surface, Barack Obama Now Squarely in Russia Gate-Crosshairs. Regardless of the veracity of these claims, and furious denials from Senate Democrats, such as Jim Himes, Ranking Member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and others—this is a story that is still in the breaking stage, with much more to uncover.
There is a wide range of pundits who are already dismissing claims by Tulsi Gabbard, and alleging that this is “old hat”, and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo also weighed in dismissing her claim that the Obama administration manufactured intelligence to push a narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Manufacturing Intelligence!
It is clear that many are now caught in the cross fire of mud-slinging, recriminations and finger pointing. The main counterargument is “that baseless accusations of treason are unfortunately par for the course for this Director of National Intelligence, but that does not make them any less damaging and unacceptable!”
Director of National Intelligence
Recent disclosures from a Tulsi Gabbard-led working group point directly to the top, as the hyped legacy of “Hope and Change” of the Obama Administration begins to crash and burn, and with the potential to take many down with it. Recent reports, in July 2025, allege that the Obama administration, in collaboration with senior officials and possibly Hillary Clinton, had intentionally manipulated intelligence to create a false narrative of Russian interference to undermine Trump’s 2016 victory.
These claims suggest a “treasonous conspiracy” involving fabricated reports and media leaks to perpetuate a years-long “coup” against Trump It comes back to the old saying, “What a tangled web we weave when we first practice deceiving.”
Gabbard has alleged the officials “manipulated and withheld” key intelligence from the public related to the possibility of Russian interference in the election.
“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,” told Gabbard in her statement.
Contrary to popular belief, especially in the MSM and ranks of the Democratic Party, Tulsi Gabbard, has demonstrated that “Russian and criminal actors did not impact” the 2016 presidential election via cyber-attacks on infrastructure, or manipulation of social media!
The obvious fake story that was manipulated by the US intelligence community claimed that it was a “secret assessment” that Russia had intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency, rather than to just [merely] undermine confidence in the US electoral system.
Naturally, US intelligence closed ranks, in their 2016 statements … and claimed that they believed with a “high degree of confidence” that Russian President Vladimir Putin became personally involved in the US presidential election senior intelligence officials told NBC News.
Barefaced Lie!
But in reality, no such thing happened, and “multiple Intelligence Community (IC) assessments before and after the elections consistently showed no credible reporting of Russian intent or the capacity to do what President Obama alleged”, and it was all just as a well-constructed lie, and a BIG one at that!
These assessments did not hold back those at the highest level in government from spinning a story for the purpose of an attempt to rig the 2016 US presidential election against Donald Trump and to deceive the US public as a whole in the process.
In the aftermath of Trump’s upset win, Obama and his national security team, including discredited figures including, but not limited to, James Clapper, John Brennan, and James Comey, intentionally “manufactured and politicized intelligence,” in laying the groundwork for the Trump-Russia collusion probe.
Durham Report Revisited
Additionally, posts on X and some reports reference the Durham Report, which claims that Obama, Biden, and others were briefed in August 2016 about a Clinton campaign plan to link Trump to Russia, suggesting the intelligence community acted on politically motivated information. These sources argue that the inclusion of the Steele dossier in various reports, despite objections from some CIA analysts, and subsequent leaks to media outlets like The Washington Post, were part of an effort to delegitimize Trump’s victory.
It should come as no surprise that multiple authoritative sources, while closing ranks, including bipartisan investigations, contradict these claims and actually affirmed that Russian interference in the 2016 election was real and aimed at supporting Trump while damaging Clinton.
For instance, a 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report, endorsed by Republicans like Marco Rubio, concluded that Russia, under Vladimir Putin’s direction, conducted a multifaceted campaign involving hacking Democratic Party systems (e.g., the DNC and John Podesta’s emails), spreading disinformation via social media, and engaging with Trump campaign associates.
Intent to undermine!
The report found no evidence of vote tampering but confirmed Russia’s intent to undermine Clinton and boost Trump. The Mueller Report (2019) similarly concluded that Russia interfered “in sweeping and systematic fashion” to favor Trump, though it did not establish direct collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
A 2025 CIA internal review, ordered by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, criticized the procedural handling of the 2017 ICA, Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA): the U.S. Intelligence Community had released a significant report titled “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections.”
Democrats—including Senator Mark Warner—have dismissed Gabbard’s claims as politically motivated revisionism, citing bipartisan Senate findings that uncovered no Obama-led conspiracy after extensive investigations.
Obama’s handling of Russian interference remains highly contested. Critics say he failed to act decisively before the election, fearing it might appear partisan or undermine voter confidence. A 2020 Senate Intelligence report stated Obama’s team was “caught off guard” and constrained by political sensitivities, limiting their response to warnings and post-election sanctions. Others argue his caution was intentional, aimed at avoiding escalation or election influence.
Still, bipartisan committees once also claimed “undeniable evidence” of Saddam’s WMDs. Washington’s political elite—including Democrats and intelligence agencies—have a history of protecting their own. To them, deception often serves political ends.
In short, while some argue the Obama administration and Intel officials fabricated the Russian interference narrative to help Clinton—based on declassified files and the Durham Report—these claims remain disputed. Meanwhile, Senate and the FBI Mueller reports confirmed Russian interference intended to benefit Trump, finding no definitive proof of a Democratic conspiracy. However, now those conclusions are highly suspect.
I Still Smell a Rat
Despite the ongoing investigations and reports, something still smells to high heaven —possibly as part of the spin from the unresolved Epstein scandal and what many see as a whitewash. The timing of Gabbard’s recent conclusions seems more than coincidental.
The truth likely lies in a tangled mix of intelligence maneuvering, political agendas, and flawed reporting. But if the pressure builds, as it did with Watergate, agencies and political players may be forced to come clean and correct the historical record.
There appears to be compelling evidence of a coordinated effort by Obama, Clinton, and key intelligence figures to influence the 2016 election and delegitimize Trump’s victory. Gabbard’s report directly accuses Obama, Clapper, Brennan, and Comey of engineering a political “coup” through manipulated intelligence and media leaks. This pattern aligns with the tactics of the previous Democratic administration, as further supported by declassified emails debating the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA).
The truth, most likely, involves a mix of political motivations and flawed intelligence, with the hint of red herrings; all this suggests a possible conspiracy akin to Watergate or the Gulf of Tokin Incident.
If I were a betting man, I would lay my bets on “guilty as charged!”
One final thought, few Westerners want, or can intellectually, make the connection between Russia Gate and the Ukraine conflict. They had collectively planned the proxy war to harm Russia under Hillary Clinton and the team; they were furious she lost, so it had to be delayed. It soon became clear that they had to brand Trump a Russian asset to prevent him from doing anything to stop the war from starting, or, as now, ending, though it is ending, albeit on Russian terms and conditions!
Jeffrey K. Silverman is a freelance journalist and international development specialist, BSc, MSc, based for 30 years in Georgia and the former Soviet Union
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