Declassified emails from 2016 have surfaced, exposing former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper’s role in pushing the Obama administration to prioritize the Russiagate narrative over established intelligence protocols. The documents, released by Tulsi Gabbard, indicate that Clapper directed intelligence chiefs to compromise normal procedures to expedite a politicized 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russian election interference. Despite warnings from NSA Director Mike Rogers about insufficient data and time, Clapper dismissed calls for more time, insisting on a unified narrative.
These emails, part of a larger declassified correspondence, suggest a coordinated effort from the top to manufacture the Russia hoax and maintain the narrative, which has since strained US-Russia relations and led to sanctions and diplomatic tensions. Clapper’s response to Rogers came just hours before the report’s authors delivered their first draft to US intelligence leaders. Gabbard’s earlier declassified releases alleged that Hillary Clinton and her operatives, backed by George Soros-linked groups, helped engineer the Trump-Russia narrative and expected the FBI to advance it. Moscow has denied interfering in US elections, but the Russiagate scandal has severely strained US-Russia relations, resulting in sanctions, asset seizures, and a breakdown in diplomatic engagement. Trump has demanded that those behind the hoax pay a ‘big price’ for what he calls a deliberate attempt to sabotage his presidency.