Fact check: Were there any official investigations into Obama's handling of Russia during his term in office?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, there were indeed official investigations related to Obama's handling of Russia during his term, though they occurred after his presidency ended. The Director of National Intelligence conducted an investigation into the Obama administration's handling of Russia during the 2016 election period ^[1]. This investigation resulted in declassified documents that revealed evidence of the Obama administration's actions regarding Russian interference assessments ^[1].

The investigation found that Obama officials "manufactured and politicized intelligence" regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election ^{[1] [2]}. As a result of these findings, there were threats to refer Obama administration officials to the Justice Department for prosecution over their intelligence assessment of Russia's 2016 election interference ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several crucial pieces of context that emerge from the analyses:

• The investigations were specifically focused on the 2016 election period and Russian interference assessments, not Obama's broader Russia policy throughout his entire presidency ^[1]
• Multiple investigations had previously found that Russia did interfere in the 2016 election, which provides important background context to these later investigations into how the Obama administration handled that interference ^[4]
• The FBI conducted separate criminal investigations into Trump campaign ties to Russia beginning in 2016, which ran parallel to concerns about Obama administration actions ^[3]
• There were also investigations into Hillary Clinton's email server and classified information handling during this same timeframe, showing the broader investigative landscape ^[5]

Alternative viewpoints emerge regarding who benefits from these narratives:

• Trump administration officials and supporters would benefit from investigations that cast doubt on the legitimacy of Russian interference findings
• Obama administration critics would benefit from evidence suggesting intelligence was "manufactured"
• Those questioning the 2016 election results would benefit from narratives suggesting Obama officials conspired against Trump

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question appears neutral but omits the specific timeframe and focus of the investigations. The investigations were not broad examinations of Obama's entire Russia policy but were specifically concentrated on the 2016 election period and intelligence assessments ^[1].

The framing could be misleading because it suggests investigations into Obama's general "handling of Russia" when the actual investigations were narrowly focused on allegations that Obama officials "manufactured and politicized intelligence" about Russian election interference ^{[1] [2]}. This distinction is crucial because it changes the scope and implications of what was being investigated.

Additionally, the question doesn't acknowledge that these investigations occurred during or after the Trump administration, not during Obama's presidency, which affects the political context and potential motivations behind the investigations ^{[3] [4]}.