Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has indeed sparked a shitstorm. Her latest press release, released July 18, addresses one of the most controversial products of her office—the so-called “Russia hoax.” Gabbard’s claims have inadvertently shone a light on the occurrences of the 2016 presidential election. They have fanned the flames for calls to put former President Barack Obama in jail. Her claims have been met with skepticism from various quarters, including fellow politicians and intelligence officials.
In that press release, Gabbard referred to the focus on the 2016 election interference as a “treasonous conspiracy.” Moreover, in a scorching attack, she accused Obama of deliberately misleading the public about Russian interference. She cited congressional and other internal government data from that era. She has made the case that these filings prove Russia did not deploy cyberattacks meant to change the vote total in the aggregate. Gabbard’s office asserted that she has “revealed overwhelming evidence” of intentional deception by the Obama administration, alleging that “their goal was to usurp President Trump and subvert the will of the American people.”
Calls for Criminal Charges
She was quick to follow her press release with a more incendiary pivot to social media. She called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to do something about it. To that end, she asserted that her allegations justified criminal indictment of President Obama for his supposed involvement in the alleged conspiracy. This step has heightened calls to hold people accountable for their actions in the 2016 election.
Former President Donald Trump has jumped all over Gabbard’s claims to support his own narrative on Obama. He referenced her claims in multiple statements, asserting that “the leader of the gang was President Obama, Barack Hussein Obama.” Trump expressed his belief that Gabbard’s findings constitute “irrefutable proof” of Obama’s alleged seditious behavior aimed at undermining his presidency.
“He’s guilty. This was treason. This was every word you can think of. They tried to steal the election,” – Donald Trump
Trump’s support for Gabbard’s statements illustrates his ongoing focus on the narrative of election interference and wrongdoing by the previous administration. His campaign has even promoted an AI-generated video showing Obama getting handcuffed in the Oval Office, taking these false claims even further.
Skepticism and Pushback
Despite Gabbard’s inflammatory charges, the facts on the ground have led many to challenge the truthfulness of her statements. Virginia Senator Mark Warner went so far as to publicly shame her. He asked Gabbard to not be a DNI. He remarked, “It is sadly not surprising that DNI Gabbard, who promised to depoliticize the intelligence community, is once again weaponizing her position to amplify the president’s election conspiracy theories.”
Obama’s office quickly responded to Gabbard’s claims. They pointed out that the published documents do nothing to disprove the established consensus view that Russia sought to interfere in the 2016 election. They implored the point that Russia attempted to sway public opinion by launching disinformation campaigns. Ultimately, they found no evidence of manipulation in the vote counts.
“Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,” – Barack Obama’s office
The intelligence community continues to claim that Russia focused its attention on propaganda and disinformation. The difference being that they didn’t go home and directly interfere with the voting process. A 2017 assessment detailed how Russia used various tactics, including online propaganda and targeted messaging, to influence public opinion during the election.
