• By Sakshi Srivastava
  • Wed, 23 Jul 2025 06:20 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
Add as a preferred

At a White House gathering with Republican lawmakers on July 22, US President Donald Trump stirred controversy by calling Tulsi Gabbard — now Director of National Intelligence — the “hottest” person in the room. Though the word has been part of Trump’s lexicon to describe popularity or buzz, critics quickly noted the term’s inappropriate undertone in a formal setting.

Trump's remark came after Gabbard filed a criminal referral to the Department of Justice (DOJ), accusing former President Barack Obama and his intelligence team of attempting to sabotage Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. "Director of national intelligence, Tulsi, she is like hotter than everybody. She is the hottest one in the room right now,” Trump said during his speech, adding that Speaker Mike Johnson wasn’t “as hot” as Gabbard.

ALSO READ: 'I Don't Care What She Said': Trump Contradicts His Spy Chief Tulsi Gabbard's Assessment On Iran Nuclear Weapons | WATCH

Criminal Referral Targets Obama Administration

Gabbard’s referral alleges that Obama and key officials — former DNI James Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan, and FBI Director James Comey — orchestrated a “treasonous conspiracy” to falsely connect Trump to Russian election interference. In a post on X, Gabbard wrote: “They usurped President Trump and subverted the will of the American people. No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted.”

She further claimed the Obama-era officials manufactured intelligence to initiate a years-long coup against Trump. The referral follows a new report from Gabbard’s office, asserting that this “coup” was rooted in fabricated links between Trump and Russia.

Claims Contradict Previous Investigations

Gabbard’s allegations directly challenge years of bipartisan investigations. A 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report — led by then-acting chairman Marco Rubio — found that the Trump campaign actively tried to “maximise the impact” of Russian-leaked Democratic documents in 2016.

ALSO READ: Trump Rejects Tulsi Gabbard's Assessment On Iran Nuclear Weapons For Second Time: Is A Bigger Move Coming?

Other official probes, including those by special counsel Robert Mueller and the Justice Department's Inspector General, concluded that Russia did interfere in the election, and that there were legitimate reasons to investigate the Trump campaign’s connections. Despite these findings, Trump has long insisted that the investigations were a “hoax,” and on Tuesday, he repeated the narrative that Obama’s administration cheated in the 2016 election. “She [Gabbard] found out that Barack Hussein Obama led a group of people and they cheated in the elections. She has the documents. Very proud of you, Tulsi,” Trump said.

What’s Next?

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who ran for president in 2020 and later distanced herself from the party, has increasingly aligned herself with Trump-era narratives. Her appointment as DNI under Trump marks a dramatic turn in US intelligence leadership, now entangled in politically charged allegations.

Also In News