August 3, 2025 – In a fiery appearance on Fox News, former CIA Director John Ratcliffe alleged that key figures from the Obama administration, including Hillary Clinton, James Comey, and John Brennan, may still face criminal accountability for their roles in promoting what he called a “false narrative” of Russian collusion against former President Donald Trump during the 2016 election.
Ratcliffe specifically accused Clinton—who served as Secretary of State under President Obama—of orchestrating the campaign to tie Trump to Russia, citing the now-discredited Steele Dossier as a core element of the plan.
“This was a Hillary Clinton campaign scheme,” Ratcliffe said. “She and her allies weaponized disinformation to damage a political opponent—and misled the public and Congress in the process.”
Referrals and Renewed Calls for Accountability
When host Maria Bartiromo asked whether individuals such as Comey, Brennan, or even Clinton herself could still be indicted, Ratcliffe replied, “That’s why I’ve made the referrals that I have.” He also noted that current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has submitted her own referrals to the Department of Justice.
“We’re going to continue to share intelligence that would support the ability of the DOJ to pursue fair and just claims against those who perpetrated this hoax,” Ratcliffe said.
Gabbard, a former Democrat who now serves in the intelligence community, recently made headlines for accusing former President Barack Obama of leading a “treasonous conspiracy” to frame Trump during the transition of power. She has since filed a criminal referral to the DOJ.
Email Evidence Adds to Scrutiny
Buried in a recent trove of documents declassified by Gabbard’s office is a September 2019 internal email exchangefrom the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), shedding new light on internal doubts about the Steele Dossier’s legitimacy.
One redacted intelligence official who worked on cyber and election security from 2014 to 2019 wrote that the dossier was not referenced in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA)—at least not in the version they helped vet.
“I have intermittently participated in IC foreign influence and election security efforts from 2014 through this evening,” the official wrote. “It included no dossier reference that I recall.”
A follow-up reply from another ODNI employee expressed deep concern over the possibility that dossier material was intentionally withheld from team members who had the appropriate security clearance.
“If the dossier material was used and I was excluded despite being cleared and needing to know, we have a problem,” the response said.
These internal emails raise questions about whether senior intelligence officials knowingly excluded dissenting analysts or manipulated internal processes during the creation of the official government assessment of Russian interference in 2016.
A Potential Legal and Political Storm Ahead
The new revelations add to mounting pressure from Republicans to reopen investigations into the origins of the Russia probe and the handling of intelligence assessments by Obama-era officials.
While the Durham report, released in 2023, found major procedural failures and political bias in the launch of the Russia investigation, it stopped short of recommending sweeping indictments. Ratcliffe and Gabbard now suggest that new evidence could justify further action.
As of now, neither Clinton, Comey, Brennan, nor any other implicated Obama-era official has responded publicly to the renewed accusations.
The Department of Justice has not announced whether it will act on the new referrals.