The Department of Justice confirmed Monday it received Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's criminal referral alleging that President Barack Obama and his national security team laid the groundwork for a "yearslong" Russia-connected "coup" against President Donald Trump following the 2016 election.
Trump defeated Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in that election.
Gabbard on Friday announced she would be presenting "overwhelming evidence" to the DOJ relating to the allegations against Obama and his team.
"The issue I am raising is not a partisan issue," Gabbard said in her announcement, backed up by a highly redacted, declassified report posted online. "It is one that concerns every American. The information we are releasing today clearly shows there was a treasonous conspiracy in 2016 committed by officials at the highest level of our government. … As such, I am providing all documents to the Department of Justice to deliver the accountability that President Trump, his family, and the American people deserve."
The conspiracy's goal, she added, was to "usurp the President" from fulfilling the "mandate bestowed upon him" by American voters.
During an appearance on Fox News Channel on Sunday, Gabbard said she "really cannot fathom" how special counsels run by former FBI Director Robert Mueller and former U.S. Attorney John Durham didn't highlight the evidence of an alleged "yearslong coup" against Trump in his first term.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, took to social media on Monday to accuse former FBI Director James Comey of refusing to pursue Clinton's improper use of emails but chasing after the since-discredited Steele Dossier. Comey said publicly that Clinton mishandled classified information but declined to recommend prosecution.
"NEWLY-DECLASSIFIED DOC shows DOJ Inspector Gen concluded the Comey-run FBI FAILED 2 conduct a thorough + complete investigation into Clinton email scandal Comey & his team ate up Steele Dossier lies + chased after Russia collusion hoax but took kid gloves approach on Clinton," Grassley wrote Monday on X.
The declassified report showed documentation outlining how, in the months leading up to the November 2016 election, the intelligence community assessed that Russia was "probably not trying … to influence the election by using cyber means" but changed its tune after Trump was elected.
The report showed that on Dec. 9, 2016, Obama's White House called in several top National Security Council principals, including DNI James Clapper, to discuss Russia.
Clapper's executive assistant then sent an email to intelligence community leaders to task them to create a new assessment "per the President's request" to detail "the tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election."
Gabbard further alleged that Obama officials leaked false statements to The Washington Post claiming that "Russia has attempted through cyber means to interfere in, if not actively influence, the outcome of an election."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.