The Department of Justice confirmed on Monday that it has received a criminal referral from the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, concerning her serious allegations that officials from the Obama administration “manufactured and politicized intelligence” to create the narrative of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, as reported by Fox News.
Although the DOJ chose not to disclose further details, it did verify to Fox News that the referral had indeed been received.
On Friday, Gabbard made public a collection of unclassified documents that she asserts contain “overwhelming evidence” indicating that then-President Barack Obama and his national security team established the groundwork for the prolonged Trump-Russia collusion investigation that followed Donald Trump’s victory over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2016.
“Their objective was to undermine President Trump and thwart the will of the American populace,” Gabbard stated on X on Friday in relation to the criminal referral. “Regardless of their power, every individual involved in this conspiracy must be thoroughly investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“The integrity of our democratic republic hinges on this. We are submitting all documents to the DOJ for criminal referral,” Gabbard further remarked.
During her appearance on Fox News with Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, Gabbard elaborated on the evidence discovered in the case, which she characterized as “overwhelming” proof that officials from the Obama administration orchestrated the groundwork for the Trump-Russia collusion hoax following the 2016 election.
“The ramifications of this are, quite frankly, nothing short of historic,” Gabbard stated on Sunday.
“The over 100 documents that we released on Friday truly detail and provide evidence of how this treasonous conspiracy was orchestrated by President Obama just weeks before he was set to leave office after President Trump had already been elected,” the Director of National Intelligence and former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii continued.
“This is not merely a Democrat or Republican concern. It is a matter of such gravity that it should alarm every American, as it pertains to the integrity of our democratic republic,” she stated.
In light of Gabbard’s disclosures, Trump shared a video on his Truth Social account that featured several notable Democrats, including Obama, asserting that “no one is above the law.” The video transitions to an AI-generated depiction of Trump and Obama in the Oval Office, culminating with the 44th president being apprehended by FBI agents while the song “YMCA” plays in the background.
Moreover, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has been unveiling newly declassified documents related to a 2018 DOJ Inspector General report that scrutinizes the Justice Department’s management of investigations concerning the 2016 presidential election, as confirmed by Fox News on Monday.
In particular, Grassley intends to declassify the appendix of the report, which Fox has discovered focuses on the investigation into Clinton’s emails.
Hillary Clinton was the target of an FBI inquiry for keeping classified information on a private email server located at her residence during her time as Secretary of State under the Obama administration. Former FBI Director James Comey publicly acknowledged that Clinton had unlawfully mishandled classified information but ultimately opted not to recommend criminal charges, asserting at the time that “no reasonable prosecutor” would pursue such a case.
Representative Jim Himes (D-CT), the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, expressed strong discontent regarding Gabbard’s release of documents that purportedly expose the misuse of power by intelligence officials from the Obama era against Trump.
During a heated appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Himes criticized Gabbard, alleging that her disclosure of information implicating former CIA Director John Brennan endangered his life from “MAGA mouth breathers.”