President Donald J. Trump has reignited political firestorms this week with a forceful accusation: that former President Barack Obama is guilty of treason for orchestrating what Trump calls the “Russia Collusion Hoax” during the final months of Obama’s presidency. The bombshell claim is now backed by newly declassified intelligence materials and a criminal referral submitted by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to the U.S. Department of Justice.
According to the evidence revealed over the last few days, the Obama administration allegedly manufactured intelligence in December 2016 to falsely implicate Trump and his campaign in colluding with Russia to influence the 2016 election. The new documents and statements are shaking Washington to its core—and conservatives are calling for accountability, justice, and prosecution.
New Evidence Shows Political Manipulation of Intelligence
The crux of the new development lies in the content of declassified Presidential Daily Briefings (PDBs) and internal memos that show U.S. intelligence agencies, as late as December 7, 2016, concluded there was no Russian interference capable of altering the 2016 vote.
On July 18, 2025, DNI Tulsi Gabbard released materials showing that the Obama administration received conclusive briefings declaring that “foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the U.S. presidential election outcome.” Despite this, President Obama held a closed-door meeting on December 9, 2016, directing his national security team to “revise the findings” and prepare a new assessment that aligned with the narrative that Russia helped Trump win.
This move led to the rushed creation of the January 6, 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), a document that reversed earlier conclusions and falsely claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered operations to favor Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton. The basis for this ICA? The now-debunked Steele dossier, which was funded by the Clinton campaign and never verified by U.S. intelligence.
Trump Responds: “This Was Treason.”
Speaking from Mar-a-Lago on July 22, 2025, President Trump said:
“Barack Obama knew I did nothing wrong. His own intelligence teams told him there was no Russian interference, no collusion. But he couldn’t accept the result of the election, so he weaponized the intelligence community and fabricated a hoax. That is treason—and he must be held accountable.”
Trump called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate and prosecute Obama and members of his cabinet, including:
- John Brennan, former CIA Director
- James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence
- Susan Rice, former National Security Advisor
- James Comey, former FBI Director
- Andrew McCabe, former Deputy FBI Director
- John Kerry, former Secretary of State
Tulsi Gabbard’s formal referral to the DOJ alleges criminal conspiracy, abuse of power, perjury, and seditious activity under the guise of national security. Bondi confirmed on July 21 that the DOJ is conducting a “preliminary review of the material provided.”
CIA Admits Obama Officials Lied Under Oath
In a new CIA assessment dated July 8, 2025, internal investigators confirmed that senior Obama-era officials knowingly used the Steele dossier in preparing the January 6 ICA, despite sworn testimony denying that it was used. This contradicts public statements made in 2017 and 2018 by Brennan, Clapper, and Comey, who testified before Congress that the dossier played no role.
The assessment also confirms that dissenting voices within the NSA and other agencies were ignored or suppressed, and the ICA was written in a way that overstated confidence levels and lacked analytical rigor.
This revelation is now at the heart of potential perjury charges and broader accountability efforts being demanded by House Republicans.
Democrats Deny Wrongdoing, Claim Distraction
Democrats, predictably, have dismissed the revelations as a political stunt.
Representative Jim Himes (D-CT), ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said:
“This is a desperate attempt by Donald Trump and his allies to rewrite history and distract from their own criminal exposure.”
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) echoed that, insisting the 2017 ICA was “sound” and based on consensus. But that claim is now directly refuted by the DNI’s own documents, showing the consensus in early December 2016 was the opposite of what was published in January.
Critics allege the timing of Trump’s charges is meant to distract from new revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, which Democrats are using to target Trump and others politically.
Conservative Response: It’s Time for Accountability
Conservatives across the country are calling the evidence a vindication of everything Trump said since 2016. Right-leaning news outlets and Republican leaders say this is proof of a coup attempt and the weaponization of intelligence for political ends.
Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) tweeted:
“If what Tulsi Gabbard released is accurate—and it certainly looks that way—then Obama must be prosecuted. No one is above the law.”
Speaker Byron Donalds (R-FL) said:
“What we’re seeing is the largest abuse of power in American history. The Russia Hoax was invented, engineered, and executed by Obama’s team—pure and simple.”
Legal Outlook: Will Obama Be Prosecuted?
While Tulsi Gabbard’s referral is historic, legal experts caution that treason—defined in the Constitution as “levying war against the United States or adhering to their enemies”—is a high bar.
However, seditious conspiracy, abuse of power, obstruction of justice, and misuse of federal intelligence agencies are all crimes that the DOJ may investigate.
Attorney General Bondi has not confirmed a criminal indictment yet, but pressure is mounting. A formal investigation is already underway, and if charges are filed, it will mark the first time in American history that a former president faces criminal prosecution for abusing federal intelligence powers.
What the Media Won’t Say
Mainstream media outlets like CNN, MSNBC, and even tech companies like X (formerly Twitter) have tried to bury the story. Elon Musk’s own AI chatbot, Grok, called the allegations “baseless” and “a distraction from Epstein scrutiny,” prompting backlash from conservative users.
Yet the declassified documents are real. The referral is real. The consequences are also very real.
Obama’s defenders may try to change the subject—but Trump’s America First base is focused, energized, and demanding truth and justice.
Final Thoughts
What started as a dismissed “conspiracy theory” in 2017 now has hard evidence behind it. For nearly a decade, conservatives insisted that the Russia collusion story was a lie—and now, declassified intelligence appears to prove they were right all along.
Trump has called for justice. Tulsi Gabbard has delivered the referral. Now it’s up to the DOJ.
History is watching.
Featured image credit: DepositPhotos.com
