By CIA Director John Ratcliffe signaled that additional indictments may soon emerge from the ongoing investigation into the origins of the Russiagate controversy. Speaking Sunday on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo, Ratcliffe described what he called “overwhelming evidence” released by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard implicating former President Barack Obama and his national security team in politicizing intelligence after Donald Trump’s 2016 election.
When asked whether individuals who lied under oath might be charged, Ratcliffe emphasized the need for justice. “That’s why I’ve made the referrals that I have. DNI Gabbard has made referrals. And why we’re going to continue to share the intelligence that would support the ability of our Department of Justice to … bring fair and just claims against those who have perpetrated this hoax against the American people and this stain on our country,” he said, according to The Daily Caller.
Ratcliffe portrayed the effort as part of a broader institutional shift. “It is a different Department of Justice, a different FBI, and an opportunity to look at how these people really did conspire to run a hoax, a fraud on the American people and against Donald Trump’s presidency,” he told Bartiromo. “And so coming forward, we understand that they did this, but now we need to understand how they did this.”
Addressing criticism that the investigation amounts to political payback, Ratcliffe rejected that framing. “And I think that’s why you see the left losing their minds over this, Maria, saying, why are you spending time? This is vindictive. You’re going back. This is Donald Trump, you know, seeking retribution. It’s not,” he said. “Donald Trump’s election by the American people was a statement, Maria. They said to everyone, we know what you did to Donald Trump, and we reelected him because we know this was all fake.”
The former congressman emphasized that transparency is key to restoring public trust. “We know it was a hoax. Now we want to understand how you did it so that it can’t happen again,” he said. Ratcliffe argued that the ongoing declassification process is central to that goal. “And that’s what this declassification process that we’re undergoing right now, what’s going on, why it’s so important, and why there can be accountability and preventability to prevent these same people that did it in 2016 with the Steele dossier, with the Hunter Biden laptop in 2020 from doing it again in the future.”
The interview followed the release of a CIA memo in June that raises questions about the credibility of former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey. The memo, declassified by Gabbard, suggests the two may have misled Congress regarding the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment, which concluded that Russian interference in the 2016 election was intended to help Trump. Contrary to their testimony, the document reportedly shows the assessment was influenced by the now-discredited Steele dossier.
While Brennan and Comey may appear to be the obvious pair to face justice for what happened in 2016, FBI Deputy Director Don Bongino revealed in a cryptic post on Twitter that more shocking revelations about “the deep state” may soon come to light.
During my tenure here as the Deputy Director of the FBI, I have repeatedly relayed to you that things are happening that might not be immediately visible, but they are happening.
The Director and I are committed to stamping out public corruption and the political weaponization…
— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) July 26, 2025
Bongino had previously been upset about the Department of Justice’s handling of the Epstein files, but has allegedly since reconciled with Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Fox News noted that “Bongino is far from the first official to drop a cryptic message ahead of big moves. In 2021 and 2022, then-Attorney General Merrick Garland stressed the importance of DOJ independence before an extremely controversial plea deal with Hunter Biden was announced. The deal was rejected and caused Biden’s DOJ to come under scrutiny as some speculated that the first son was given special treatment.”
It was not particularly clear what the deputy director was referencing, but we should expect more to come soon.
