By T N Ashok
NEW YORK: National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director Tulsi Gabbard’s incendiary claim that former President Barack Obama committed “treason” in the 2016 election with her gunpowder plot of Russian interference that enabled Trump to win involving Hilary and Bill Clinton, has ignited a political firestorm—one that now threatens to engulf her own credibility more than the man she’s accusing. What was pitched as a thunderbolt moment by the Trump administration is quickly boomeranging into a cautionary tale about reckless political theatre, desperation, and stretching the limits of loyalty in pursuit of power.
Behind the dramatic language and the orchestrated rollout lies a deeper and more calculated move: Gabbard, now serving as Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, is said to be aggressively angling for a promotion into a more prominent second-term role, possibly even Secretary of State. But in doing so, she’s handed Democrats their most unifying cause in months—and triggered a highly choreographed counteroffensive from veterans of the Obama White House. Democrats were lacking leadership and issues to rally around one person, she has given it to them on a platter, Obama.
Last week, Gabbard used her official capacity to accuse the Obama administration of “manipulating intelligence” in 2016 to make it appear that Russia interfered in the election to help Trump—a claim thoroughly debunked by a 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report. That investigation, led by then-acting GOP Chairman Marco Rubio, reaffirmed the intelligence community’s findings: Russia did interfere, and it was in Trump’s favour.
Yet Gabbard’s bombshell wasn’t an offhand remark. It was delivered in a White House briefing, amplified in a social media campaign, and followed up with a formal criminal referral to the Justice Department—an extraordinary move suggesting coordination at the highest levels of the Trump White House.
To Obama alumni, it’s clear what’s going on: a deflection from Trump’s spiralling Epstein troubles, and an audition by Gabbard for higher office.“This isn’t about Obama. It’s about Tulsi trying to out-MAGA the MAGA crowd,” said a former senior Obama national security official. “The White House is desperate to distract from the Epstein revelations, and she’s trying to prove she’s the one who will do the dirty work.”
Sources close to Trumpworld suggest that Gabbard’s loyalty hasn’t gone unnoticed. Her high-profile attacks, her comfort in sparring with the press, and her outsider status have made her a top contender for an expanded role—perhaps even as Vice President should Trump part ways with J.D. Vance. But Gabbard’s gamble is not without risks. The backlash has been swift and fierce.
Democrats, often criticized for being fragmented in the face of Trumpism, have rallied around Obama with startling speed. Former CIA Director John Brennan and former DNI James Clapper—frequent targets of Trump’s ire—called the allegations “fabricated,” “dangerous,” and “legally unserious.” Both men emphasized that Gabbard’s accusations are riddled with mischaracterizations and distortions pulled out of context.
“There is no factual basis for what she’s saying,” Brennan told NBC. “This is either deliberate disinformation or willful ignorance.”The outrage has spread beyond national security veterans. Former State Department spokesperson Ned Price penned a blistering op-ed—in Fox News, no less—warning conservatives that Gabbard’s accusations are “revisionist history” designed to stir chaos.“This wasn’t for MSNBC viewers,” Price said. “This was to plant a factual anchor where the fire is raging—in conservative media.”
Obama himself has remained above the fray, but his office issued a rare statement calling the allegations “outrageous,” “bizarre,” and “a weak attempt at distraction.”That strategy—measured, presidential, but firm—has only enhanced Obama’s standing while underscoring the desperation coming from Trump’s camp.
The timing of Gabbard’s treason claims has drawn intense scrutiny—and skepticism. They came just days after The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s own name appears in sealed Epstein files. Trump has publicly denied this and claimed Attorney General Pam Bondi never informed him, despite evidence to the contrary.
Adding fuel to the fire, Trump recently reposted an AI-generated video of Obama being arrested—a move that critics say reveals the unserious and theatrical tone of the administration’s strategy.
Multiple former intelligence officials argue the Obama accusations are less about legal strategy and more about media hijacking: pulling attention away from Epstein developments and toward conspiracies that inflame the base.
But that strategy appears to be unravelling. The backlash against Gabbard—both in Washington and in the intelligence community—has been sharper than the White House expected. Even mainstream Republicans are calling the allegations “a bridge too far.”
Gabbard’s meteoric rise in the Trump orbit is now entwined with one of the most controversial allegations made by a U.S. official against a former president. If the accusations fizzle—as nearly all legal experts predict—she may be left exposed, a cautionary figure who tried to outmanoeuvre the system by embracing its most unhinged elements.“Throwing around the word ‘treason’ like a campaign slogan is not leadership,” said one senior former Obama staffer. “It’s dangerous. It’s corrosive. And it’s going to blow back.”
The fallout is already being felt. Congressional Democrats are reportedly preparing hearings to investigate whether Gabbard misused classified materials or violated the Hatch Act by politicizing her intelligence post. A group of House Democrats is also calling for an ethics review of her conduct.
In her effort to prove loyalty to Trump and secure a top job in his administration, Tulsi Gabbard may have overreached—turning a baseless attack into a national spectacle that threatens to tarnish her credibility permanently.
Meanwhile, Democrats are finding new resolve in defending Obama and weaponizing the backlash. And Trump’s own Epstein woes, far from being eclipsed, are now front and center—reminding voters that no amount of smoke and mirrors can erase the shadows of scandal. Gabbard wanted to make headlines. She succeeded. Now, the question is whether the story she’s written will be her own undoing. (IPA Service)
