A newly declassified report released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) has revived long-standing allegations that former President Barack Obama and senior members of his national security team engineered the narrative that Donald Trump colluded with Russia. According to the report, high-ranking officials including former CIA Director John Brennan, former DNI James Clapper, and former FBI Director James Comey allegedly politicized raw intelligence and constructed a “contrived” Intelligence Community Assessment in early 2017.
The document claims Obama personally ordered the assessment despite internal objections, and that analysts were pressured to ignore or downplay evidence that contradicted the Trump-Russia storyline. Portions of the intelligence were reportedly “manufactured,” then used to legitimize a media and political campaign aimed at undermining Trump before and after he took office.
This revelation adds new weight to a controversial episode in March 2017, when Rep. Devin Nunes, then Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, visited the White House on March 21 and informed President Trump that intelligence agencies had incidentally collected information on his transition team. The next day, Nunes went public, telling reporters that the surveillance had nothing to do with Russia and appeared to target Trump associates improperly.
Within weeks, he was pushed aside from leading the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation, a move driven by political pressure and internal complaints. At the same time, Rep. Adam Schiff continued to speak publicly about alleged Trump-Russia connections for several more years, ultimately maintaining his position on the Intelligence Committee until he was removed in 2023.
DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who authorized the report’s declassification, called the findings evidence of a coordinated effort to sabotage a presidential candidate and later a sitting president. She argued that the actions amounted to “a years-long coup” by intelligence officials who abused their authority to influence public perception and government outcomes. Former Obama officials have pushed back on the claims, dismissing them as politically motivated and denying that intelligence was altered or manipulated.
The newly released report has intensified scrutiny of how the Trump-Russia narrative was formed, who controlled the flow of intelligence, and why key documents remained concealed for nearly a decade. Whether these revelations lead to new investigations or legal consequences remains to be seen, but the findings have already reopened major questions about the conduct of top intelligence and Obama-era officials during the 2016 and early 2017 period.
