The Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated a grand jury investigation into allegations that Obama administration officials engaged in a conspiracy to link former President Donald Trump to Russia during the 2016 presidential election. The move follows a referral from Senator Tulsi Gabbard, who has claimed that intelligence operatives under President Barack Obama manipulated information to create a narrative of Russian interference in the election. The DOJ’s request for documents from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) signifies the start of a critical phase in the probe, which aims to determine whether there was a coordinated effort by Obama-era officials to undermine Trump’s victory in 2016.
In a letter to the ODNI, DOJ prosecutors sought a range of materials, including nonpublic information related to the declassified evidence Gabbard disclosed in July. This request highlights the agency’s growing interest in the allegations that the intelligence community altered its findings to support a misleading account of the election. The inquiry is reportedly focusing on whether Obama officials bypassed standard protocols to generate a flawed intelligence product, which Gabbard claims laid the groundwork for the Trump-Russia narrative that dominated much of the first Trump administration.
Gabbard, who has consistently criticized the media and intelligence community for amplifying the conspiracy theory, asserts that the release of previously classified information has exposed the extent of the alleged misconduct. The DOJ’s pursuit of documents from the ODNI underscores the probe’s transition to a phase of gathering evidence, with prosecutors looking for any inconsistencies or potential criminal behavior. A source familiar with the investigation confirmed that the probe is moving forward, with the DOJ prosecutor seeking to obtain more details about any intelligence community investigations into media leaks that may have contributed to the spread of the narrative.
Grand jury investigations are typically carried out in secret and can take weeks or months to resolve. The panel, composed of jurors, will assess whether there is probable cause to charge individuals with criminal offenses. While the scope of the investigation remains unclear, the DOJ has not announced which individuals are under scrutiny or what charges might be considered. Gabbard has accused the Obama administration of engaging in a deliberate effort to fabricate intelligence to support a political agenda, a claim that has drawn strong rebuttals from the White House.
President Obama’s office recently dismissed Gabbard’s allegations as