Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to launch a grand jury investigation into accusations that members of the Obama administration manufactured intelligence about Russia’s 2016 election interference, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
A grand jury would be able to issue subpoenas as part of a criminal investigation into renewed allegations that Democratic officials tried to smear Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign by falsely alleging his campaign was colluding with the Russian government. It could also consider an indictment should the Justice Department decide to pursue a criminal case.
The move follows a referral from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who declassified documents in July that she alleges undermine the Obama administration’s conclusion that Russia tried to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton.
Gabbard requested that the Justice Department investigate former President Barack Obama and top officials in his administration for an alleged conspiracy.
Soon after Gabbard’s referral, Bondi announced that the DOJ was creating a “strike force” to assess the evidence released by Gabbard and “investigate potential next legal steps which might stem from DNI Gabbard’s disclosures.”
The Justice Department declined to comment.
CNN has reported that the allegations from Gabbard misrepresent what the intelligence community concluded over Russia’s attempts to influence the 2016 election.
While Gabbard insisted the Russian goal in 2016 was to sow distrust in American democracy and not to help Trump, the unsealed documents don’t undercut or alter the US government’s core findings in 2017 that Russia launched a campaign of influence and hacking and sought to help Clinton lose.
Fox News first reported Bondi’s grand jury request.
CNN’s Holmes Lybrand contributed to this report.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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