Gabbard alleges that Obama-era officials laid the groundwork for efforts to undermine Donald Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton in what she describes as a “treasonous conspiracy”.

In a strongly worded statement, Gabbard claims declassified information reveals that the intelligence community had initially assessed that Russia was “probably not” attempting to influence the 2016 election through cyber operations.

However, she says this assessment shifted significantly in the run-up to the November vote, suggesting political interference from within the Obama administration.

She also accused former officials of leaking false or misleading information to major US media outlets to create a narrative that Russia was attempting to tilt the election in Trump’s favour.

Gabbard labelled the actions “an egregious abuse of power” and called for full legal accountability. “Every person who was part of this treasonous conspiracy must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she said.

--Sherwin Bryce-Pease/ChannelAfrica--