Obama authorized 'implausible' reports about Putin supporting Trump - House Intel Committee | 23 July 2025 | Former U.S. President Barack Obama ignored CIA warnings and authorized the release of reports claiming Russian President Vladimir Putin backed Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign, according to a newly declassified report from the House Intelligence Committee. Last week, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard published more than 100 documents detailing what she described as a coordinated effort by Obama-era officials to fabricate the narrative of Trump-Russia collusion. The effort, she said, aimed to undermine Trump's legitimacy after his 2016 election victory. On Tuesday, the DNI released additional declassified findings focused on the January 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA), which claimed that Putin sought to influence the election in Trump's favor. That assessment became a central foundation for the Russiagate probe.