Bombshell declassifications have reignited the fiery debate over Russiagate and the Steele Dossier, a controversial document tied to the 2016 election that just won’t stay buried, as Just the News reports.
This saga, unfolding with new revelations in 2025, centers on allegations of hidden evidence and politicized intelligence involving federal agencies and the now-infamous dossier funded by Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
Back in 2019, the Southeastern Legal Foundation, representing Just the News, filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking communications about the Steele Dossier. This dossier, crafted by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele and bankrolled through Fusion GPS by Clinton campaign lawyer Marc Elias, aimed to tie Donald Trump to Russia. The effort, as history shows, was more smoke than fire.
In September 2016, an Intelligence Community Assessment concluded that Russian efforts were about undermining U.S. election legitimacy, not favoring any specific candidate. Fast forward to December 2016, and a revised assessment -- publicly released in January 2017 -- incorporated the Steele Dossier, boldly claiming Russian support for Trump’s win.
The FBI, despite using the dossier to secure FISA warrants against a Trump campaign official, later flagged it as uncorroborated and debunked. Multiple investigations, including those by Congress, Robert Mueller, and John Durham, found no criminal collusion between Trump and Vladimir Putin.
Adding to the mess, the Federal Elections Commission in 2022 fined Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee for mislabeling dossier funds as “legal services.” Mislabeling? That’s a polite way to say they got caught with their hands in the cookie jar.
Fast forward to this year, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents exposing efforts by federal agencies to hide Steele Dossier records. A memo released last week, detailed how the intelligence community suppressed evidence showing that no significant Russian cyberattacks impacted the 2016 election.
Gabbard didn’t hold back, sending evidence to the Justice Department in July 2025, alleging a “treasonous conspiracy” by intelligence officials to politicize intelligence. “The information we are releasing today clearly shows there was a treasonous conspiracy in 2016 committed by officials at the highest level of our government,” Gabbard declared.
Her words continue to sting: “No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, to ensure nothing like this ever happens again,” she added. That’s a call for accountability that cuts through the bureaucratic fog like a knife.
The CIA’s own 2025 “lessons learned” review slammed the inclusion of the Steele Dossier in the December 2016 assessment, noting it violated tradecraft principles and cratered credibility. It also questioned the “high confidence” claim that Putin aimed to help Trump. Seems like confidence was more about politics than proof.
Emails declassified this year revealed that even some intelligence officials were kept in the dark about the dossier’s role, with a whistleblower expressing dismay upon learning of its use. Meanwhile, former FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe reportedly pushed for its inclusion.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe added fuel to the fire by sending a criminal referral to FBI Director Kash Patel over potential misconduct by Obama-era CIA Director John Brennan. Speaking of Brennan, he told MSNBC this year, “I think this is unfortunately a very sad and tragic example of the continued politicization of the intelligence community.” Sad indeed, but perhaps the mirror is the best place to look for blame.
The Southeastern Legal Foundation isn’t letting this slide, demanding an investigation into the intelligence community’s withholding of documents. Their president, Kimberly Hermann, minced no words: “Thanks to a bombshell whistleblower report we now know that for years, Obama and Biden’s FBI, CIA, and ODNI lied to us and federal courts, concealing documents that show manufactured intelligence funded by the Clinton campaign was used to influence the 2016 election and undermine President Trump’s first term."
This legal watchdog’s mission is clear -- to expose corruption and ensure accountability, no matter how high the ladder goes. Their FOIA battle, started in 2019, now feels like a quest for justice against a system that seems more interested in narratives than facts.
What’s next is anyone’s guess, but the declassified evidence paints a damning picture of an intelligence community playing politics over principle. If these allegations hold, the American people deserve answers, not excuses, about how far this web of deception spun. Let’s hope the pursuit of truth doesn’t get lost in the partisan swamp.
