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Republican lawmakers are calling for full transparency following reports that senior Obama-era officials may have orchestrated an effort to undermine Donald Trump’s 2016 election win. Meanwhile, Democrats are questioning the timing and motives behind the newly released information.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, appointed by Trump, began releasing declassified intelligence documents last week, which she claims show that former President Barack Obama and top aides pushed a “contrived narrative” alleging Russian interference to damage Trump.
Democrats continue to point to previous congressional investigations concluding that Russia did, in fact, work to help Trump in 2016. They also suggest the release is politically motivated, coinciding with renewed pressure on Trump to disclose more about the Epstein case.
“It is profoundly dishonest, and it’s dangerous,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. “What I have urged the administration to do is engage in radical transparency, make it all public and expose just how much the Obama administration knew what they were doing – that they knew they were lying. I think anybody that violated the law needs to be held accountable.”
Sen. Cruz emphasized the need for full disclosure in light of Gabbard’s claims that “deep state actors” attempted to suppress the truth.
In contrast, Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., pushed back, citing the Mueller report: “It documented Russia’s efforts to help denigrate Hillary Clinton, which gave a boost to the Trump campaign. I think what Gabbard and her staff are doing is dishonest.”
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., countered that the Steele dossier was “clearly a Clinton plant” and asserted that the Clinton campaign coordinated with Russian sources. “What Tulsi Gabbard is pulling out is to say, ‘How deep did this go into the White House that they knew about the Steele Dossier, they knew it was a Clinton document. When did they start pushing this out, and what official resources were they using to try to add validity to this to be able to undercut the election?’”
He added, “We got a long way to go still, but it’s good to be able to get all information out… let the chips fall where they may.”
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., echoed the call for transparency. “Part of what this election was about, it was about transparency and government accountability. And that’s exactly what [Gabbard] is trying to do, and that’s exactly what the Trump administration is trying to do,” he said.
However, Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., a former CIA analyst, said the timing of Gabbard’s disclosures was suspect. She noted that the release coincided with demands for Trump to disclose more about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
“President Trump had four years in his first term, and all the time since then, to go after this issue, and he picks the same day that his name appears in the Epstein files to talk about Barack Obama,” Slotkin said. “American people are not dumb. Like, we get it. Trump wanted to talk about something different.”
She added, “I have to see these reports, and see how they’re sourced… But the timing can’t be missed. The president is trying to dodge and distract you.”
Despite the partisan divide, Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., emphasized the broader significance of the issue. “Republican, Democrat, I mean, you know, this is something that transcends all that. This is really important,” Boozman said. “Hopefully we’ll have open transparency so people will understand what’s going on… I’m sure Congress will be involved, and certainly the Justice Department is involved. So, I think these are all good things.”
