The recent disclosures from Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard regarding alleged wrongdoing by the intelligence community (IC) and the Obama administration are appalling.

According to Paradigm’s macro expert Jim Rickards: “These disclosures (and what will follow) are one of the most important stories in U.S. history.”

Jim Rickards and DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard

“Observers cannot be blamed for yawning at that description,” Jim acknowledges. “We’ve been hearing about this story since early in 2017, not long after Donald Trump was inaugurated for his first term.

“The allegations at the time were that the CIA and FBI used a dossier prepared by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele that indicated Trump was under the thumb of the Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

The dossier’s credibility was bolstered by the fact that “Steele was not just any agent,” says Jim. “He was head of the Russia desk at MI6 headquarters in London. Supposedly, his Russian sources were quite solid.”

The dossier contained “salacious allegations” and formed the basis for an argument that “Putin could use the material [to] blackmail Trump,” further suggesting that Russia meddled in the 2016 election to help Trump win.

Your Rundown for Wednesday, July 30, 2025...

The Plot to Neutralize Trump

“The FBI went to the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to get warrants to spy on the Trump campaign,” Jim continues.

“The warrants pertained to several Trump associates, but since those associates were speaking to the campaign, it was a backdoor way to spy on the campaign itself.

“Although this plot failed to elect Hillary Clinton,” he adds, “it did prove useful in paralyzing the Trump administration for its first three years.”

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller, you’ll recall, was appointed to investigate Trump, but “after two years of investigations, they found nothing, despite having practically unlimited resources.

“But echoes of the Russiagate allegations continued into 2019,” Jim highlights, when Trump was impeached over a phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky, “allegedly show[ing] that Trump was pro-Russian and that Russia was now interfering in the 2020 election.”

After Trump’s 2020 defeat, “the whole affair just seemed to go away. But the allegations served their purpose. Trump’s [first] administration was paralyzed. The people behind this plot assumed that Trump was finished politically and would never be heard from again.

“Well, he's back… And the DNI’s Tulsi Gabbard just stood the entire narrative on its head.

“Gabbard did not do this with mere allegations of her own,” says Jim. “She declassified thousands of pages of CIA and other IC files to back up her allegations.”

Among Gabbard’s bombshell revelations…

• “The reason for the Steele dossier was to insulate Hillary from blackmail. Putin had information from Hillary Clinton’s private [unsecured] server, which she used to send classified information.”

• After Trump’s 2016 Election Day victory, however, “the deep state went into a full panic.” The Steele dossier “would be used to destroy Trump.

• “In December 2016,” Jim explains, “the IC assessed that Russia did not interfere in the U.S. elections...and that Putin did not favor one candidate over the other.”

• This assessment, Jim reports, “was about to be included in the highly classified President’s Daily Brief (PDB).

• “Obama ordered the IC chiefs...to halt the distribution of the PDB and revise the assessment to show that Russia did interfere in the U.S. election.

“This narrative was completely false but it served multiple purposes: It would rationalize Hillary’s loss and paralyze Trump. In those respects, the plan worked,” Jim says.

“Here’s why the Tulsi Gabbard revelations are so important: The actions alleged are crimes. It [was] treasonous because it attempted to [undermine POTUS] and negate the voice of the American people.

“The orders to reverse the original IC assessment came from Obama himself. Other officials involved in addition to John Brennan (CIA), James Clapper (DNI) and James Comey (FBI) include Susan Rice, Sally Yates, Mary McCord, Lisa Monaco, Hillary Clinton, Andrew McCabe and others.

“If some of those names are not well-known, they will be soon,” Jim underscores. “Criminal referrals have been made, and indictments are expected.

“The coup was orchestrated from the top down,” he concludes. “None of Obama’s co-conspirators and henchmen have immunity.

“Events are moving quickly. Those looking for accountability” — if found guilty — “will not be disappointed.”

Market Rundown for Wednesday, July 30, 2025

S&P 500 futures are in the green at 6,410.

A barrel of WTI is priced at $69.22.

Gold is up $2 to $3,326.10 per ounce.

And Bitcoin’s up 0.20% to $117,800.