Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard just dropped a bombshell that could rewrite the narrative around Donald Trump’s 2016 victory.
According to the Daily Caller, on July 18, 2025, Gabbard declassified files that she claims expose a calculated effort by former President Barack Obama and his national security team to undermine Trump with manipulated intelligence, setting the stage for what she calls a sustained campaign to delegitimize his presidency.
Let’s rewind to the aftermath of Trump’s 2016 win, when allegations of Russian collusion with his campaign began swirling like a bad conspiracy novel.
The newly released documents assert there was zero evidence that Trump acted as a Russian asset, nor any proof that Russia aimed to tamper with the actual vote count or use cyber tactics to sway the election outcome.
Yet, despite these findings, the files point to a narrative pushed by certain intelligence officials that painted a very different picture, one that fueled endless investigations and public distrust.
Among the most damning revelations is the role of the Steele Dossier, a privately funded report riddled with unverified claims about Trump-Russia ties, which Gabbard says was built on information known to be fabricated by those pushing it.
A memo accompanying the files also accuses the DNI and Department of Homeland Security of cherry-picking data in their public statements, conveniently omitting that the FBI and NSA had only “low confidence” in pinning data leaks on Russia just weeks before the 2016 vote.
While the memo does concede some evidence of Russian-directed hacking of Democratic entities, it stops short of validating the broader narrative of election interference aimed at helping Trump.
Instead, it alleges that after the election, so-called “Deep State” figures in the intelligence community fed outright falsehoods to outlets like the Washington Post, claiming Russia used cyber means to tilt the election in Trump’s favor.
These leaks, according to the memo, included assertions that the CIA had secretly concluded Russia had intervened to boost Trump—a claim that stoked public outrage and kept the collusion story alive for years.
Gabbard isn’t mincing words about this, declaring, “Their goal was to subvert the will of the American people.” Well, if that’s not a gut punch to the idea of fair play in politics, what is?
She goes further, stating, “Their egregious abuse of power... threatens the very foundation... of our democratic republic.” It’s hard to argue with her concern when the documents suggest a deliberate effort to mislead the public about a sitting president.
In response, Gabbard is taking no prisoners, announcing she’s handed over all related materials to the Department of Justice for a full criminal referral, insisting on accountability for those involved.
She drives the point home with, “No matter how powerful, every person... must be investigated and prosecuted.” If this pans out, it could be a reckoning for those who thought they could play fast and loose with the truth, and a reminder that no one is above the law—not even in the shadowy corners of government.
