US National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard launched a new attack on former President Barack Obama this week, alleging that he conspired to undermine Trump’s 2016 presidential victory by using false intelligence purporting to show Russian interference in Trump’s favour.On Wednesday, Gabbard told a White House news briefing that she had declassified evidence of a conspiracy between Obama and senior officials in his administration. Gabbard said she had referred Obama to the Department of Justice for potential criminal prosecution.
However, declassified documents released by Gabbard this week, including a September 2020 report led by House Republicans on the intelligence committee, do not appear to implicate Obama in any apparent way, experts say.
“There is no evidence of criminal acts on Obama’s part or anyone in his administration,” Barbara Ann Perry, who analyses US presidents at the Virginia-based Miller Center, told Al Jazeera.
Several investigations by Congress and the intelligence community have previously found that Russia did interfere in the 2016 election.
The document release and investigation come as the White House faces growing pressure from within Trump’s MAGA base to release classified information about the high-profile sex offender and one-time Trump ally, Jeffrey Epstein.
“There is a direct correlation between diversion from the Epstein files, which Trump and his MAGA followers have demanded to see for years,” Perry said.
Here’s what we know about the allegations Gabbard is making: …
