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Allegations have surfaced that Russia had intelligence indicating that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was using “heavy tranquilizers,” a newly declassified intelligence report reveals. This information was reportedly found to be “extraordinarily alarming” by former President Barack Obama and Democratic Party leaders.
The U.S. intelligence community did not have direct evidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to help elect Donald Trump in the 2016 election. However, at the direction of then-President Obama, the intelligence community published intelligence that may have been biased or implausible.
The declassified report, released by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, was prepared by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in 2020. The report, which had been classified within the intelligence community, was based on an investigation initiated by former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes.
This report, dated September 18, 2020, contained sensitive information, including Russian intelligence suggesting that senior Democratic leaders were concerned about Hillary Clinton’s health. The report stated that Clinton’s health was considered “extraordinarily alarming” and could have a negative impact on her election prospects.
Then-President Obama stands with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (AP)
The report also alleged that Clinton was dealing with psycho-emotional issues and was taking heavy tranquilizers daily. Additionally, it claimed that she had Type 2 diabetes, Ischemic heart disease, deep vein thrombosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Furthermore, the report stated that the Russians possessed campaign emails discussing a plan approved by Clinton to link Putin and Russian hackers to distract the American public from the Clinton email server scandal.
During a White House press briefing, Gabbard highlighted the high-level DNC emails detailing Clinton’s health issues and alleged use of tranquilizers. She criticized CIA Director Brennan and the intelligence community for mischaracterizing intelligence and creating a false narrative about Putin’s preference for Trump.
Neither Clinton nor Obama responded to requests for comment on this matter. A tranquilizer is a medication typically prescribed to alleviate anxiety, sleep disturbances, and related mental health conditions.
On July 28, 2016, then-CIA Director John Brennan briefed Obama on a plan from one of Clinton’s campaign advisors to vilify Trump by alleging interference by the Russian security service. This briefing was attended by Comey, Biden, Lynch, and Clapper.
President Barack Obama waves on stage with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a rally at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Nov. 7, 2016. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/The Associated Press)
After this briefing, the CIA passed on the information to the FBI, leading to the opening of a counterintelligence investigation into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. This investigation, known as “Crossfire Hurricane,” did not yield evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
Subsequently, Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take over the FBI’s investigation. Following the conclusion of Mueller’s investigation, which found no evidence of collusion, John Durham was appointed to look into the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane probe.
President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House announcing he was nominating John Brennan as the new CIA director. (Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images)
In his report, Durham criticized the FBI for failing to act on intelligence related to the Clinton Plan, which detailed efforts to link Trump to Russia. The report also highlighted how the intelligence community misrepresented reports as reliable when they contained significant flaws.
The declassification of this report comes in the wake of revelations about the Obama administration’s handling of intelligence related to the 2016 election. This includes information indicating that top officials had no empirical evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia but continued to push the narrative of collusion publicly.
Special Counsel John Durham (Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images)
These revelations raise questions about the handling of intelligence and the motivations behind certain actions taken during the 2016 election.
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“I never saw any direct empirical evidence that the Trump campaign or someone in it was plotting/conspiring with the Russians to meddle with the election,” testified Director of National Intelligence James Clapper in 2017. “That’s not to say that there weren’t concerns about the evidence we were seeing, anecdotal evidence…. But I do not recall any instance where I had direct evidence.”
