Overview

• Tulsi Gabbard declassified Obama-era documents and accused former President Barack Obama and senior aides of manufacturing a false intelligence assessment that Russia sought to help President Trump in 2016.
• The Justice Department confirmed receipt of the criminal referrals but has not announced any formal review or timeline and faces obstacles such as presidential immunity and procedural norms.
• Former Obama officials and intelligence veterans reference the Mueller, Senate Intelligence and Durham reports to dispute Gabbard’s claims and accuse her of cherry-picking a President’s Daily Brief.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi was reportedly blindsided by the surprise referral and established a vaguely defined “strike force” without clear authority or deadlines.
• President Trump praised the move as a diversion from his Epstein files controversy, and several Republican senators have called for a special counsel to oversee any further action.