Newly declassified documents released by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard are reigniting fierce political debate over the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, with conservatives alleging they show top Obama administration officials helped fabricate the narrative of collusion to discredit then-candidate Donald Trump.
The documents include a previously unreleased annex to the 2023 Durham report and supporting material from a 2020 House Intelligence Committee investigation. Together, they suggest senior intelligence officials under President Barack Obama, including former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former National Security Advisor Susan Rice, promoted claims of Russian interference and Trump campaign coordination despite internal dissent within the intelligence community.
Among the most contentious revelations is the role of the Steele dossier — opposition research funded by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign — in shaping official intelligence assessments. According to the documents, Brennan advocated for including the unverified material in the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment, overriding objections from senior analysts who questioned the dossier’s credibility.
One CIA official, quoted in the annex, said the dossier “did not meet basic tradecraft standards” and recalled Brennan responding to concerns by asking, “Doesn’t it ring true?”
The documents also detail a July 2016 intelligence briefing in which then-President Obama was reportedly informed of Clinton’s alleged plan to “vilify Donald Trump by stirring up a scandal claiming interference by the Russian security service.” Despite this, officials continued incorporating the dossier’s claims into formal reports and leaked its contents to the media, according to the findings.
Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman turned independent, called the revelations “deeply troubling” and accused the Obama administration of “weaponizing intelligence agencies for partisan ends.” She urged the Department of Justice to investigate potential misconduct by former officials.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), speaking on Fox News’ Hannity, said the documents show “Obama-era officials ignored the lack of evidence and fueled a narrative they knew was flawed, all to damage President Trump.” He added, “The American people deserve full transparency and accountability.”
The annex also revisits the intelligence community’s shifting assessment of Russia’s motives. Early reports indicated that Russia was “probably not trying to influence the election by using cyber means.” However, following Trump’s unexpected win, a follow-up assessment concluded that President Vladimir Putin had directed a campaign to assist Trump — a claim now described in the annex as “potentially biased” and “implausible.”
Critics, including conservative commentators such as Mollie Hemingway, argue the revelations confirm long-held suspicions that the Trump-Russia investigation was politically driven. “The dossier was bogus, the leaks were strategic, and the entire effort was about delegitimizing an election result Democrats couldn’t accept,” Hemingway wrote.
The documents do not provide definitive evidence of a criminal conspiracy, but they have prompted renewed scrutiny of how intelligence was collected, evaluated, and shared during the transition from the Obama to the Trump administration.
While some emails allegedly tying the Clinton campaign to a disinformation effort have since been attributed to Russian intelligence fabrications, conservative lawmakers argue the broader pattern of conduct by Obama-era officials remains problematic.
A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment on whether any new investigations or prosecutions would follow. However, several House Republicans have already signaled plans to reopen inquiries and seek criminal referrals.
“The Russia hoax was the most egregious abuse of the intelligence community in modern history,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). “We cannot let this go unanswered.”