Former President Barack Obama will be the subject of a Department of Justice investigation on claims that he was behind the effort to stage a Russia-connected "coup" against President Donald Trump shortly after the 2016 election, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Wednesday.
"I will continue to refer these documents to the FBI to investigate the criminal implications," Gabbard told reporters during Wednesday afternoon's press briefing, also commenting "correct" when she was asked if Obama would be investigated.
"The evidence that we have found and that we have released directly points to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment," said Gabbard. "There are multiple pieces of evidence and intelligence that confirm that fact."
However, she stopped short of saying Obama should be investigated for "treason."
"I am leaving the criminal charges to the Department of Justice," Gabbard said. "I am not an attorney, but as I have said previously, when you look at the intent behind creating a fake, manufactured intelligence document that directly contradicts multiple assessments created by the intelligence community, the expressed intent and what followed afterward can only be described as a yearslong coup and treasonous conspiracy against the American people, our republic, and an attempt to undermine President Trump's administration."
Gabbard, when asked about a Senate Intelligence Committee investigation agreement that there was no political interference from Russia in Trump's race, said she is encouraging the media to examine the documents that she has released and for the American people to see for themselves what the documents contain.
"We have released now close to 200 pages … and multiple references, multiple examples, to include comments that have been made by senior intelligence professionals [some of whom] are working within these agencies today, that confirm the conclusions we have drawn," said Gabbard. "President Obama directed an intelligence community assessment to be created to further this contrived false narrative that ultimately led to a yearlong coup to try to undermine President Trump's presidency."
Earlier on Wednesday, Gabbard released documentation that the administration claims shows that reports regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin backing President Donald Trump in the 2016 election were fake.
She has also refuted denials by Obama's camp in his alleged role in the matter.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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