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India Today
24-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Tulsi Gabbard releases documents targeting Obama over 2016 Russian interference
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released newly declassified documents on Wednesday that, according to her, reveal efforts by senior Obama administration officials to politicise intelligence findings related to Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential a press briefing, Gabbard claimed the Obama administration deliberately crafted a 'false narrative' suggesting Russian President Vladimir Putin worked to help Donald Trump win the 2016 evidence has emerged of the most egregious weaponization and politicization of intelligence in American history,' Gabbard said. 'This was not an intelligence failure—it was an intelligence fabrication.'New evidence has emerged of the most egregious weaponization and politicization of intelligence in American history. Per President @realDonaldTrump's directive, I have declassified a @HouseIntel oversight majority staff report that exposes how the Obama Administration DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) July 23, 2025 She added that the documents show the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) was 'manufactured' to falsely implicate Russian support for Trump, to undermine his legitimacy even before he took remarks follow the release of a report initially drafted in 2017 by the Republican-led House Intelligence Committee. According to the report and corroborating details from newly released ODNI memos, the intelligence community's conclusion that Putin favored Trump allegedly lacked the same 'professional rigor' applied to other ECHOES ACCUSATIONSPresident Donald Trump amplified Gabbard's claims, calling Obama the 'ringleader' behind what he described as a 'treasonous conspiracy' to delegitimise his presidency. 'We caught them—Obama, Clinton, Susan Rice, and others. They thought it would all be buried in classified documents, but the truth is coming out,' Trump confirmed that the declassified materials have been referred to the Department of Justice and the FBI for further investigation. 'No matter how powerful, every person involved must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' she ODNI memo released alongside the report names several former intelligence leaders—including ex-DNI James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former FBI Director James Comey—as having played key roles in crafting the disputed OFFICE DENOUNCES ALLEGATIONSIn a rare response, former President Obama's office issued a statement strongly rejecting the claims. 'These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,' said spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush. 'Nothing in the document undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia sought to influence the 2016 election, though no votes were changed.'Rodenbush pointed to the 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report, led by Republican Chairman Marco Rubio, which affirmed that Russia interfered with the intention of aiding Gabbard and Trump insist the documents expose a long-running conspiracy, major media outlets including CNN and The New York Times have noted that the newly released report is a revised version of a 2017 GOP-led independent investigations and Senate findings over the past several years have consistently upheld that Russia engaged in efforts to interfere in the 2016 election, though no direct coordination with the Trump campaign was ever Praises GabbardAt a recent appearance, President Trump praised Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, highlighting her role in releasing documents that allege former President Barack Obama led efforts to manipulate the 2016 election.'Where's Tulsi? She's hotter than everyone,' Trump said, drawing laughter from the crowd. 'She's got the documents. She uncovered that Barack Hussein Obama led a group of people who rigged the election. They cheated—plain and simple.'Trump went on to say that Gabbard assured him there's more to come: 'She told me, 'You've seen nothing yet.' We're very proud of you, Tulsi. What happened wasn't a loss—it was a stolen win.'- EndsTune InMust Watch
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Obama reiterates conclusion of attempted Russian interference in 2016 election
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The office of U.S. Democratic former President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that a document issued last week by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence does not undercut the conclusion that Russia tried to influence the 2016 U.S. election but that it did not manipulate any votes. "Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes," Obama's office said in a statement. President Donald Trump accused Obama of "treason" on Tuesday, blaming him, without providing evidence, for leading an effort to falsely tie him to Russia and undermine his 2016 presidential campaign. "These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction," Obama's office said.
Times
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Martin Luther King files released: extent of FBI surveillance revealed
The US justice department has released more than 6,000 documents related to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. The 240,000 pages of documents include records from the FBI but omit wiretap recordings of King the bureau made while surveilling the civil rights leader as part of an effort to discredit him. Monday's release comes at a time when President Trump faces pressure from his own supporters to release files related to the death of the disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein. King was shot dead while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, at 6.01pm on April 4, 1968. He was 39. James Earl Ray, a segregationist and drifter, confessed to killing King and was sentenced to serve 99 years in prison. He later unsuccessfully tried to withdraw his guilty plea and seek a retrial. He died in prison in 1998. The Trump administration said the assassination documents included interviews with people close to Ray as well as discussions of potential leads by investigators. The single audio file released on Monday included parts of a law enforcement interview with Ray's brother, Jerry. In response to a question about whether he thought his brother killed King, he said: 'I don't think he did it and nobody else does.' The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) said the documents 'had never been digitised and sat collecting dust in facilities across the federal government for decades, until today'. Tulsi Gabbard, the Director of National Intelligence, said: 'The American people have waited nearly 60 years to see the full scope of the federal government's investigation into Dr King's assassination.' The ODNI said it was 'the first time these records are published online in one collection with minimal redactions', but added that some of the records had previously been made public through Freedom of Information Act requests. Time and the digitising process have also rendered many of the pages difficult to read. King advocated a non-violent struggle for equality as well as civil liberties and had previously received multiple death threats, surviving at least one earlier attempt to kill him. When he extended his campaign for equal rights for African-Americans to economic issues, the FBI falsely claimed it suspected King had ties to communism and the Soviet Union. The FBI kept files on the civil rights leader from the 1950s through to his death which in recent years it has acknowledged as an example of 'abuse and overreach'. • JFK to Epstein: the files Trump wants to declassify In 1979, the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded there was a likelihood of conspiracy in the assassination of King and that Ray may have served as a scapegoat. King's family requested people engage with the files 'with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family's continuing grief'. 'During our father's lifetime, he was relentlessly targeted by an invasive, predatory, and deeply disturbing disinformation and surveillance campaign orchestrated by J Edgar Hoover through the Federal Bureau of Investigation,' the family, including his two living children, Martin Luther King III, 67, and Bernice King, 62, said, referring to the FBI director at the time. Earlier this year, the Trump administration released thousands of pages of digital documents related to the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and the former president, John F Kennedy, who was killed in 1963.
Metro
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Donald Trump releases 230,000 FBI files on MLK's assassination - what's in them?
Donald Trump has released a huge batch of previously classified documents about Dr Martin Luther King's (MLK) assassination. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is publishing 230,000 pages worth of documents relating to the death of the civil rights leader in 1968. The released files have been 'sat collecting dust in facilities across the federal government for decades' as they had never been digitized, the ODNI said. They include internal FBI memos about the investigation's process and prison testimony. US president Donald Trump ordered the release of the files surrounding the deaths of President John F Kennedy, attorney General Robert F Kennedy and MLK. He made similar promises to release the documents during his 2017 to 2021 term. But under pressure from the FBI, he kept a chunk of documents under wraps, citing national security concerns. Director of the ODNI Tulsi Gabbard said: 'The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government's investigation into Dr King's assassination. 'Under President Trump's leadership, we are ensuring that no stone is left unturned in our mission to deliver complete transparency on this pivotal and tragic event in our nation's history.' Dr Alveda King, the niece of MLK, celebrated the release describing it as a 'historic step forward'. She said: 'I am grateful to President Trump and DNI Gabbard for delivering on their pledge of transparency in the release of these documents on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. 'My uncle lived boldly in pursuit of truth and justice, and his enduring legacy of faith continues to inspire Americans to this day. 'While we continue to mourn his death, the declassification and release of these documents are a historic step towards the truth that the American people deserve.' But MLK's two living children Martin III and Bernice have asked readers to engage with the files with 'empathy and restraint', adding they do not believe Ray acted alone. They wrote: 'As the children of Dr. King and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, his tragic death has been an intensely personal grief – a devastating loss for his wife, children, and the granddaughter he never met – an absence our family has endured for over 57 years. 'We ask those who engage with the release of these files to do so with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family's continuing grief.' But the timing of their release has raised suspicion as Americans demand to see more files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. MORE: Husband says 'go big or go home' after 'killing wife and hiding her decomposing body' MORE: Dad who reported daughter, 9, missing on vacation busted after her body found in pond MORE: Trump calls for Idaho murderer spared death penalty to 'explain what happened'
CBS News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump administration releases records on Martin Luther King Jr. assassination
The federal government on Monday released thousands of records on the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. — a move that was ordered by President Trump earlier this year. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said the documents, which number over 230,000 pages, "had never been digitized and sat collecting dust in facilities across the federal government for decades, until today." The records include the FBI's "discussion of potential leads, internal FBI memos detailing the progress of the case, and documents related to James Earl Ray's former cellmate, who stated he discussed with Ray an alleged assassination plot," according to ODNI. The agency says the release also includes CIA records on the search for Ray, who fled the U.S. before he was eventually captured and pleaded guilty to assassinating King. "The American people have waited nearly sixty years to see the full scope of the federal government's investigation into Dr. King's assassination," Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said in a statement. ODNI called Monday's release "the first time these records are published online in one collection with minimal redactions," though it said some records had been made public previously through Freedom of Information Act requests. ODNI said King's relatives were "provided an opportunity to review the files" two weeks ago. Prior to the release, some relatives of King pushed back on the plan: "For us, the assassination of our father is a deeply personal family loss that we have endured over the last 56 years. We hope to be provided the opportunity to review the files as a family prior to its public release." King's two living children, Bernice King and Martin Luther King III, said in a statement Monday they understood the records have "long been a subject of interest," but urged people to engage with the files "with empathy, restraint, and respect for our family's continued grief." The statement — released by the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change — pointed to the FBI's yearslong surveillance of King in the 1960s, which a Justice Department report later concluded was "very probably" illegal. "While we support transparency and historical accountability, we object to any attacks on our father's legacy or attempts to weaponize it to spread falsehoods," the family members said. "Those who promote the fruit of the FBI's surveillance will unknowingly align themselves with an ongoing campaign to degrade our father and the Civil Rights Movement." King's niece, Alveda King, said in ODNI's statement she supported the release, calling it "a historic step towards the truth that the American people deserve." Shortly after returning to office, Mr. Trump ordered the government to declassify and release federal records on President John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination, along with the 1968 killings of King and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. Records on JFK were released in March, and the government released several tranches of documents on RFK starting in April. All three assassinations have drawn decades of public curiosity, including theories about whether the people accused and convicted of assassinating the three men acted alone or were even responsible for the killings. Ray pleaded guilty to murdering King in Memphis one year after the assassination, and was sentenced to 99 years in prison, but he later recanted his guilty plea and spent years unsuccessfully seeking a new trial. He died in 1998. Members of King's family have contended that Ray was not the shooter. Their statement Monday pointed to a 1999 wrongful death suit in Tennessee civil court in which a jury concluded a man named Loyd Jowers and other co-conspirators, "including government agencies," were linked to King's assassination. Other official findings have varied. The Justice Department conducted reviews of the assassination in 1977 and 2000, which asserted that Ray was the assassin and that he didn't act as part of a conspiracy. In the 1970s, the House Select Committee on Assassinations found that King was likely assassinated as part of a conspiracy involving Ray, but that the government wasn't involved.
