(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
In the final months of President Obama’s second term, his administration quietly set the stage for one of the most divisive investigations in American history. While officials knew there was no evidence that Russia had altered vote counts in the 2016 election, they still chose to push a story that implied Donald Trump had won because of Russian interference.
That decision cost taxpayers millions and damaged the credibility of the nation’s democratic process.
In August 2016, the Department of Homeland Security told the National Security Council that there was “no indication of a Russian threat to directly manipulate the actual vote count through cyber means.”
But despite that conclusion, just weeks later, American intelligence agencies publicly claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a cyber influence campaign to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. This narrative contradicted what cybersecurity officials had already determined.
That false narrative sparked the Mueller investigation, a probe that lasted two years and cost taxpayers nearly $32 million. The investigation relied heavily on the Steele dossier—a document filled with unverified and often debunked claims.
The dossier was compiled by Christopher Steele, a former British spy, who had been paid by political opponents of Trump, including both Republicans and Democrats. Some of the claims were based on rumors and third-hand sources, and the FBI knew early on that much of the document lacked credibility.
Internal documents later revealed that FBI officials were aware that the Steele dossier contained faulty information. Still, they used it to obtain surveillance warrants and justify continued investigations.
In December 2016, intelligence agencies prepared reports for President Obama that included information from the dossier, despite acknowledging privately that much of it was unverified. In doing so, they knowingly misled both the president and the public.
This campaign of deception had lasting effects. Even after Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s final report in 2019 found no evidence of criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, the damage was done.
A 2020 Pew Research Center poll found that 62% of Americans still believed Russia had “rigged” the election. That belief undermined public faith in the electoral system and made it difficult for millions of Americans to accept the results of the election.
The media played a major role in spreading this narrative. Many major outlets pushed the Russia collusion story with little skepticism.
When the claims turned out to be false, they offered few corrections. Instead of admitting fault, they quietly moved on—leaving the public with lingering doubts and deepening political divisions.
It’s important to remember that no private citizen could get away with what these officials did. If someone spent $32 million of taxpayer money on a project built on false information, they would likely face criminal charges.
If an average person lied to the FBI or misused federal resources to influence an election, they could go to prison. Yet none of the officials involved in this massive deception have been held accountable.
The Russia collusion narrative was a coordinated effort that exploited public trust and undermined democratic institutions. Despite clear evidence that key players knew the story was built on shaky ground, Obama pushed it forward anyway, leaving the nation divided and disillusioned. Without accountability, this pattern of abuse is destined to repeat.
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