Retired CIA official Susan Miller has rebutted claims made by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard regarding the Obama administration’s handling of intelligence on Russian interference in the 2016 election, dismissing Gabbard’s allegations as politically motivated lies.
Miller, who led the CIA team that conducted the 2017 intelligence assessment on Russian election interference, told NBC News that “The director of national intelligence and the White House are lying, again” and emphasized that, “We definitely had the intel to show with high probability that the specific goal of the Russians was to get Trump elected.”
She added that there was no sign of a “two-way collusion between Trump or his team with the Russians at that time.”
The confrontation stems from Gabbard’s recent declassification of documents that she claims expose a “treasonous conspiracy” by the Obama administration to manufacture intelligence assessments about Russian interference in the 2016 election. At a White House press briefing on Wednesday, Gabbard accused former President Barack Obama and his national security team of creating false intelligence to undermine then-President-elect Donald Trump.
Gabbard released a 44-page report from the House Intelligence Committee, written by Republican staff in September 2020, which questions the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin preferred Trump over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. She has referred these allegations to the Justice Department for potential criminal prosecution.
Miller, speaking from her position as one report, strongly defended the integrity of the assessment process. She told NBC News that no one, including then-President Barack Obama and CIA Director John Brennan, directed her team on what conclusion to reach in the report and that their findings were based on reliable intelligence.
On Friday, Miller told CNN, “My team and I had a few drinks last night and discussed this, as well as talked about which lawyers we would look for if it happens,” indicating her readiness to defend against any potential criminal charges stemming from Gabbard’s referrals.
The former CIA officer emphasized that the report was not based on the controversial Steele dossier, noting that the dossier was merely an appendix to the main assessment. She confirmed that her team was able to verify with complete certainty that Russia attempted to influence the 2016 election, though she acknowledged uncertainty about whether those efforts were successful.
While Gabbard alleges the Obama administration “manufactured” intelligence, Miller insists that “We looked at everything, and we’re being now told that we somehow did it wrong”. She stressed that her team followed proper analytical procedures without political interference.
Miller maintained that the intelligence clearly showed Russia’s specific goal was to help Trump win the election, contradicting Gabbard’s assertions that this conclusion was fabricated.
Miller characterized Gabbard’s approach as politically motivated, stating that “What Tulsi is saying is we only want to hear anything that’s pro-Trump, pro-Trump policy, pro-this, pro-current Republican Party, from any of our intel services. And if we hear anything that’s not that? Then we’re going to come after you.”
