In a July 2025 social media post, former President Donald Trump endorsed Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s push for prosecution of former President Barack Obama and key officials for allegedly orchestrating election fraud during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Former President Donald Trump, using his platform on Truth Social, reiterated his claims on July 19, 2025, that former President Barack Obama and his associates were involved in a “treasonous conspiracy” aimed at undermining his 2016 election victory. Trump praised Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard for her role in exposing alleged election fraud and encouraged her to continue pushing for criminal charges against Obama and top officials.
Gabbard released a 114-page declassified report on July 18, detailing accusations against members of Obama’s national security team, including James Clapper, John Brennan, James Comey, and Susan Rice. She alleged that these individuals manipulated intelligence to falsely suggest that Russian interference had favored Trump in the election.
The report cites documents such as a December 7, 2016, memo stating that no cyberattacks altered the election outcome. Gabbard claims that a White House meeting held on December 9, 2016, resulted in a January 2017 intelligence report that wrongly attributed Trump’s victory to Russian interference, subsequently leading to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
The report and its conclusions, however, face significant counterarguments. Previous investigations, including a 2020 bipartisan report by the Senate Intelligence Committee, identified “irrefutable evidence” of Russia’s attempts to support Trump, without any indication of fabricated intelligence. Mueller’s 2019 report also described Russia’s interference as “sweeping and systematic,” yet found no evidence of collusion by Trump’s campaign.
Democratic leaders have dismissed Gabbard’s allegations as lacking in foundation. Senator Mark Warner, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, noted that the 2017 intelligence community assessment was the outcome of a comprehensive three-year investigation. Representative Jim Himes, a Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, labeled the claims of treason as “baseless” due to the absence of credible investigative support.
Furthermore, a review conducted by CIA Director John Ratcliffe maintained the intelligence community’s assessment of Russia’s pro-Trump actions, even while criticizing some methods used in 2017. Gabbard’s expertise in intelligence has also been called into question amid criticism of her report.
The timing of these allegations coincides with increasing scrutiny on the White House regarding its management of Jeffrey Epstein’s files. On July 18, Trump directed Attorney General Pamela Bondi to unseal grand jury testimony tied to Epstein, amid pressure from his political base for a supposed “client list,” which the Department of Justice claims does not exist. Critics argue that Gabbard’s election fraud allegations are intended to divert attention from the Epstein controversy, which includes resurfaced images of Trump with Epstein from the 1990s and a recent report by the Wall Street Journal suggesting a suggestive 2003 letter from Trump.
The release of Gabbard’s report shortly after the Wall Street Journal’s story has prompted speculation that the administration is aiming to redirect public and media focus from the Epstein-related issues to past political disputes.
