All-In Breakdown

Russiagate Hoax

Topic

A political narrative and series of investigations alleging collusion between Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and the Russian government. Gabbard describes it as a 'hoax' founded on manufactured, politicized intelligence.

First Mentioned

9/16/2025, 6:29:55 AM

Last Updated

9/16/2025, 6:31:24 AM

Research Retrieved

9/16/2025, 6:31:23 AM

Summary

The "Russiagate Hoax" is described as a deliberate campaign of politicized intelligence, allegedly orchestrated by the outgoing Obama Administration following Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 US Presidential Election. According to figures like Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, this effort aimed to undermine Trump's presidency by reversing the Intelligence Community's initial assessment of no Russian impact on the election. Key alleged components included leveraging unreliable sources like the Steele Dossier and initiating the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation, reportedly using illegal FISA court warrants. This narrative suggests that figures such as James Clapper, John Brennan, and James Comey were central to its execution, with comparisons drawn to the flawed intelligence preceding the Iraq War. Proponents of the "hoax" theory, including some members of Congress, assert that it represents a significant political fraud, with current DNI Tulsi Gabbard actively declassifying documents and referring findings to the Department of Justice for accountability.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Purpose

    Undermine Donald Trump's presidency

  • Key Claim

    Deliberate campaign of politicized intelligence

  • Comparison

    Flawed Iraq War Intelligence

  • Alleged Legal Issue

    Illegal FISA court warrants

  • Alleged Orchestrators

    Outgoing Obama Administration

  • Alleged Initial Allegation

    Meeting involving Donald Trump Jr.

  • Current Action (by DNI Gabbard)

    Referred findings to Department of Justice

  • Alleged Origin of Steele Dossier

    Hired by Hillary Clinton presidential campaign (via Marc Elias and Fusion GPS)

  • Key Figures (alleged orchestrators)

    James Clapper (DNI), John Brennan (CIA Director), James Comey (FBI Director)

  • Key Investigation (allegedly flawed)

    FBI's Crossfire Hurricane

  • Key Tools/Sources (allegedly unreliable)

    Steele Dossier

Timeline
  • Donald Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton in the US Presidential Election, marking the period after which the alleged hoax began. (Source: related_documents)

    2016-11-08

  • The outgoing Obama Administration allegedly orchestrated a campaign of politicized intelligence to undermine Trump's presidency. (Source: related_documents)

    Late 2016 - Early 2017

  • The Intelligence Community's initial assessment, which found no evidence of Russian impact on the election, was allegedly reversed. (Source: related_documents)

    Late 2016 - Early 2017

  • The FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation was launched, reportedly using illegal FISA court warrants and leveraging the Steele Dossier. (Source: related_documents)

    Undated (post-2016 election)

  • The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) Majority staff report was declassified and released, detailing how the Intelligence Community allegedly manufactured the Russia collusion hoax. (Source: web_search_results)

    2017

  • Tulsi Gabbard, as Director of National Intelligence, is declassifying documents and has referred findings related to the hoax to the Department of Justice for accountability. (Source: related_documents)

    Ongoing

Web Search Results
  • Russia investigation origins conspiracy theory

    Trump and his defenders have used terms like "Russia hoax", "Russian collusion hoax", and "Russiagate hoax" to delegitimize accusations and investigations of alleged impropriety, cooperation, collusion, or conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the government, officials, and intelligence agencies of Russia. They assert that such accusations are a hoax perpetrated against Trump by his critics and that he is the victim of a witch hunt and a "conspiracy theory … invented, funded, and spread by [...] 11. ^ Jump up to: a b Young, Cathy (October 25, 2022). "No, 'Russiagate' Wasn't the Hoax That Team Trump Claims It Was". Cato Institute. Retrieved April 8, 2025. 12. ^ Jump up to: a b Davis, Julie; Haberman, Maggie (May 28, 2018). "With 'Spygate,' Trump Shows How He Uses Conspiracy Theories to Erode Trust". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018. [...] See also: Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections § Trump's "Russiagate hoax" claims

  • Crawford on the Release of the HPSCI Majority Staff ...

    “The Russia hoax will go down as one of the most troublesome events in U.S. history. A President of the United States was falsely accused, and a nation had to endure lies fabricated by rogue personnel within their own Intelligence Community. To this day, our country is more polarized than ever before, and the Russia hoax played a role in that. There are still Americans who passionately believe the fabricated narrative. That is why releasing this document to the public has been so important. [...] “This report is the final nail in the coffin of the Russia hoax, which has perpetrated the greatest political fraud on the American people for over 8 years and undermined President Trump’s first term in office. This HPSCI staff report, for the first time, exposes in-depth details on how the Intelligence Community manufactured the Russia collusion hoax. [...] WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rick Crawford (AR-01) released the following statement in response to the declassification and release of the 2017 HPSCI Majority staff report that exposes an unprecedented level of truth about the politically-driven Obama-era Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) which falsely legitimized and fueled the Russia collusion hoax against President Trump and the American people.

  • GANG THAT INVENTED THE RUSSIA HOAX IS BEHIND ...

    Marc Elias invented the hoax that President Trump colluded with Russia. As lawyer for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign in 2016, Elias hired Fusion GPS to collect the phony opposition research on Trump that became known as the Russia dossier. It was debunked by the Mueller report. Elias isn’t just the Democrat’s top dirty trickster. He is also Senior Advisor and General Counsel for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) run by former Attorney General Eric Holder. [...] The same way they knee-capped the first Trump administration with their Russia hoax. It’s what Democrats do – make up a story, keep repeating it, and their minions in the mainstream media back them up. Democrats are constantly betting that if they repeat their big lie enough people will fall for it. Opposite messaging is what leftists do. When the truth is not on their side they turn it upside down. They peddle poison as medicine. [...] Remember, these are the people who insist these lies are true: • The border is secure. • Inflation was transitory. • The Hunter Biden laptop was fake. • Trump colluded with Russia. •Censorship is a form of free speech. •Protecting women is hate speech. •Protecting children is hate speech. • Guns cause crime. •Men can have babies. Welcome to the Democrats’ bizarro world where they are trying to “save democracy” with a presidential nominee who never received a single vote.

  • Trump's spy chief claims Obama administration 'manufactured' intel ...

    For years, President Trump has spread disinformation about those conclusions, calling the entire Russia investigation a "hoax," despite supporting evidence that has been systematically reviewed by intelligence agencies, lawmakers and Department of Justice lawyers. ### The Two-Way ### Putin Ordered 'Influence Campaign' To Help Trump, U.S. Intelligence Report Says

  • Russia Investigation Transcripts and Documents

    Russian delegation offered dirt on Donald Trump’s rival—presidential candidate Hillary Clinton—to the highest levels of the Trump campaign, and did so in writing. Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., accepted that offer, and then set up a secret meeting between the Russian delegation, himself, Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to discuss that illicit help. When news of the meeting was about to break, Trump and his son drafted a false statement [...] late 2016, the incoming National Security Advisor Michael Flynn undertook efforts to undermine U.S. sanctions on Russia imposed by the previous administration over Russia’s interference in the election on Trump’s behalf. Flynn would later lie to the FBI about these efforts, and the President would try to pressure then-FBI Director Comey to shut down any investigation into Flynn. It would take the firing of then Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the later appointment of an unscrupulous Attorney [...] aimed at the US presidential election. Russia’s goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.”_ Democrats on the Committee affirmed that judgement, as did Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee. Throughout its investigation, the Committee uncovered