Fact-check analysisVerified as of July 19, 2025Curated by FactVerify
Misleading

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is now stating emphatically that a former President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, attempted a coup against President Donald J. Trump - and has officially declassified the proof.

Tulsi Gabbard, as Director of National Intelligence, has publicly accused former President Obama of attempting a coup against President Trump and claims to have declassified supporting documents, but these claims are widely disputed and lack independent verification.

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Source: factverify.com

At a glance

Key Evidence

Verified July 19, 2025
The reporting

What the Evidence Shows

The claim consists of several components: 1) Tulsi Gabbard is the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), 2) she has emphatically stated that former President Barack Obama attempted a coup against President Donald Trump, and 3) she has officially declassified proof supporting this assertion. Evidence from multiple sources confirms that Tulsi Gabbard, in her role as DNI, has made public accusations against the Obama administration alleging a conspiracy to undermine Trump’s presidency and has released documents she claims support these allegations.news-pravda.comnews-pravda.comThis is surreal. Here in America, the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi...news-pravda.comnews-pravda.comDeclassified documents released by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi...news-pravda.comnews-pravda.com️U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard releases "overwhelming...

However, these claims have been met with significant skepticism and criticism from mainstream media and political figures who describe the reports as politically motivated and error-ridden.nytimes.comnytimes.comGabbard Claims Obama Administration Tried to Undermine Trump in 2016 The documents cited have not been independently verified by other intelligence community officials or credible third-party experts.

Furthermore, the sources promoting these claims are predominantly from Pravda EN and similar outlets, which are not considered highly reliable or authoritative in U.S. Political reporting. The Guardian and The New York Times report on Gabbard’s accusations but emphasize the controversy and lack of corroboration.theguardian.comtheguardian.comTulsi Gabbard calls for Obama to be prosecuted over 2016 election claimsnytimes.comnytimes.comGabbard Claims Obama Administration Tried to Undermine Trump in 2016 Thus, while the claim about Gabbard’s statements is factually accurate, the implication that there is definitive proof of a coup attempt is misleading given the absence of independent validation and the politically charged context.

Primary trail

Verified Sources5

This is surreal. Here in America, the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi...

news-pravda.com
Open source

Tulsi Gabbard calls for Obama to be prosecuted over 2016 election claims

theguardian.com
Open source

Declassified documents released by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi...

news-pravda.com
Open source
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