Declassified emails expose Obama intel chief’s role in Russiagate hoax
The newly released records show how James Clapper pushed to stick to the claim that Russia meddled in the 2016 US election
US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has declassified new documents revealing that former President Barack Obama’s administration “manufactured” intelligence to create the 2016 Trump-Russia collusion narrative and push the Russiagate probe.
The top-secret correspondence, released on Wednesday, shows former DNI James Clapper directing intelligence chiefs to “compromise on normal” procedures to rush a politicized 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), despite concerns from then-National Security Agency (NSA) Director Mike Rogers.
On December 22, 2016, Rogers warned Clapper, then-FBI Director James Comey, and then-CIA Director John Brennan that the NSA lacked “sufficient access” to all the intelligence and had not had “enough time” to be “absolutely confident” in its assessment of Russian involvement in the election.
Hours later, Clapper dismissed the call for more time, writing that “more time is not negotiable.” He stressed it was “essential that we (CIA/NSA/FBI/ODNI) be on the same page, and are all supportive of the report – in the highest tradition of ‘that’s OUR story, and we’re sticking’ to it.’” Clapper added: “This is one project that has to be a team sport.”
The exchange took place shortly after a meeting between Obama, Clapper, Brennan, and other senior officials, during which Obama ordered a report detailing “the tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.”
????Newly declassified Top Secret emails sent on December 22, 2016 complying with President Obama's order to create the manufactured January 2017 ICA about Russia expose how DNI James Clapper demanded the IC fall in line behind the Russia Hoax. Clapper admits that it was a "team… pic.twitter.com/fVHq9E1no7
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) August 13, 2025
Clapper’s response to Rogers came just hours before the report’s authors delivered their first draft to US intelligence leaders.
“The decision to compromise standards and violate protocols in the creation of the 2017 manufactured intelligence assessment was deliberate and came from the very top,” Gabbard said.
Her earlier declassified releases alleged that Hillary Clinton, Trump’s 2016 election rival, and her operatives – backed by George Soros-linked groups – helped engineer the Trump-Russia narrative and expected the FBI to advance it.
READ MORE: Obama was ‘mastermind’ behind Russiagate hoax – Trump
Moscow has denied interfering in US elections. The Russiagate scandal severely strained US-Russia relations, resulting in sanctions, asset seizures, and a breakdown in diplomatic engagement.
Trump has said all those behind the hoax should pay a “big price” for what he called a deliberate attempt to sabotage his presidency.