Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Friday released a cache of newly declassified documents that she says contain \u201coverwhelming evidence\u201d showing how the Obama administration laid the foundation for the yearslong investigation into alleged collusion between Donald Trump\u2019s campaign and Russia\u2014despite intelligence assessments that contradicted key claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The declassified material includes a Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) prepared on December 8, 2016, by the Department of Homeland Security in coordination with the CIA, FBI, NSA, State Department, and others. That report stated explicitly: \u201cRussian and criminal actors did not impact recent US election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The PDB also confirmed that although Russian-linked hackers likely compromised a voter registration database in Illinois and attempted similar efforts in other states, those actions were deemed \u201chighly unlikely\u201d to have changed any state\u2019s official vote results. The assessment emphasized that the real aim appeared to be psychological\u2014undermining confidence in the electoral system\u2014rather than directly influencing the outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier intelligence assessments leading up to the 2016 election echoed this view, consistently stating that Russia was \u201cprobably not trying to influence the election by using cyber means.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Internal FBI communications show that the bureau raised concerns about the December 8 PDB, drafting a formal dissent and urging the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to delay publication. The brief, originally scheduled for release on December 9, was held back following \u201cnew guidance,\u201d according to redacted internal ODNI emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A White House Situation Room meeting convened that same day\u2014December 9, 2016\u2014brought together senior national security officials to address the sensitive issue. A source familiar with the meeting confirmed that the unpublished version of the PDB clearly stated there was no Russian impact on the election outcome through cyberattacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite these internal conclusions, top Obama-era officials allegedly leaked conflicting information to the press, suggesting Russia had interfered in the election and possibly swayed the outcome\u2014a narrative that helped ignite the Trump-Russia investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The declassified documents also point to the now-discredited Steele Dossier as a key influence in shaping the subsequent Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA). Officials acknowledged that some of the information used in that assessment was \u201cmanufactured\u201d or \u201cdeemed not credible\u201d at the time it was circulated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further, sources told Fox News Digital that key agencies\u2014such as the FBI and NSA\u2014had expressed \u201clow confidence\u201d in attributing the Democratic National Committee (DNC) email leaks to the Russian government, even as the ICA concluded otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabbard characterized the entire episode as a \u201ctreasonous conspiracy,\u201d accusing senior Obama-era officials of weaponizing intelligence and launching a coordinated campaign to delegitimize Donald Trump\u2019s presidency<\/p>\n\n\n\n