Tulsi Gabbard calls for prosecution of Obama over ‘treasonous conspiracy’ in 2016 US election

Gabbard declared that her office has submitted relevant documents to the US Department of Justice, calling for a full criminal investigation. In her allegations, she has named several prominent Obama-era officials, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former FBI Director James Comey.

“No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Gabbard said, according to The Guardian.

According to the declassified report released by Gabbard’s office, intelligence community assessments immediately before and after the 2016 election stated that Russia probably was not attempting to change the election outcome using cyber means. The report claims that, following a White House meeting in December 2016, Obama officials shifted their public messaging by relying on still-unverified intelligence, including the so-called Steele dossier, to suggest Russian interference had affected the election’s result.

Gabbard’s accusations have been swiftly denied by Democratic leaders and former intelligence officials, who characterised her claims as politically motivated and lacking credible evidence. Multiple US intelligence agencies and bipartisan investigations, including the Senate Intelligence Committee, have previously determined that, while Russia did engage in efforts to influence the 2016 campaign, there is no evidence that votes were changed or that Obama administration officials fabricated intelligence.

The Department of Justice has declined to comment on Gabbard’s criminal referrals, and leading officials named in her statement have not responded publicly.

(With inputs from The Guardian)