Former CIA Analysts Say Intel Community’s Credibility Hit Again Over Russia Collusion Claims
Former CIA analysts say the U.S. intelligence community has taken another major credibility blow after newly declassified documents suggest top Obama officials deliberately misled the public about Trump-Russia collusion in 2016.
Declassified by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and sent to the Justice Department for possible criminal referrals, the documents highlight what analysts call the deep politicization of intelligence—starting under Obama and continuing into the Biden era, according to the Washington Times.
Gabbard alleges that Obama-era officials, including former President Obama, James Clapper, John Brennan, and James Comey, fabricated a false intelligence assessment to undermine the incoming Trump administration. Clapper has since said he has “lawyered up.”
Former CIA analyst Fred Fleitz said the scandal severely damaged trust in U.S. intelligence, calling it “a big political game” that began with Trump’s presidency and citing partisan misuse by officials like Rep. Adam Schiff and Brennan.
Gabbard also claims whistleblowers from within the intelligence community are now stepping forward with more information. She told Fox News, “They, like the American people, want justice.”
Fleitz added that many in the intelligence community “despise” Brennan, criticizing his role in pushing the Steele dossier and his partisan commentary, which he says fueled Trump’s distrust of the CIA.
The Justice Department confirmed it has received Gabbard’s criminal referral.