Fact check: Did Barack Obama direct the FBI to investigate Trump's Russia ties during the 2017 election?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, there is no direct evidence that Barack Obama personally directed the FBI to investigate Trump's Russia ties during the 2017 election. The sources examined do not address this specific question directly ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}.

Instead, the analyses reveal a contemporary political controversy centered around Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's claims that the Obama administration "manufactured and politicized intelligence" to create what she characterizes as a "years-long coup against President Trump" ^[1]. Gabbard released previously classified documents that she claims demonstrate this conspiracy ^{[5] [6]}.

However, Special Counsel John Durham concluded that the FBI should never have launched a full investigation into connections between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 election ^[7], though this finding does not establish Obama's personal involvement in directing the investigation.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question contains a significant factual error - it references the "2017 election," but the 2016 presidential election had already concluded by 2017. The Russia investigation concerns the 2016 election, not a 2017 election.

Critical missing context includes:

• The analyses show that experts consider Gabbard's claims misleading, with one source noting they "rely on a nonexistent contradiction in the 2017 intelligence assessment" ^[2]
• The newly released documents do not actually undercut the government's core findings that Russia launched an influence and hacking campaign to help Donald Trump in 2016 ^[3]
• The 2017 intelligence assessment's central thesis - that Russia attempted to influence the American public and their perceptions of the 2016 election - remains unchallenged by the new documents ^[4]

Beneficiaries of different narratives:

• Tulsi Gabbard and Trump allies benefit from promoting the "manufactured intelligence" narrative as it supports claims of a "deep state" conspiracy
• Obama administration officials and intelligence community veterans benefit from defending the legitimacy of the Russia investigation and intelligence assessments

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains multiple problematic elements:

• Factual error: References a non-existent "2017 election" when the relevant investigation concerned the 2016 election
• Assumes facts not in evidence: Presupposes that Obama personally directed FBI investigations without establishing this occurred
• Conflates different issues: Mixes questions about Obama's personal involvement with broader debates about the Russia investigation's origins

The question appears to reflect the "Russia investigation origins conspiracy theory" discussed in the analyses ^[8], which has been promoted by Trump and his allies but lacks substantive evidence according to the sources examined. The framing suggests potential bias toward accepting unproven claims about Obama's direct involvement in FBI operations.