Morning Brief: The Russiagate Plot Thickens, Trump Sues WSJ, Congress Pushes Amnesty

Declassified documents reveal an alleged Obama-era plot to create the Trump-Russia narrative. President Trump sues The Wall Street Journal for libel over an Epstein story and demands the release of grand jury files. A bipartisan bill offers legal status to millions of illegal immigrants, sparking a debate over amnesty.

It’s Monday, July 21, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.

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Russiagate Plot Revealed?

Topline: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a trove of declassified documents that she alleges detail a malicious conspiracy by former President Barack Obama and his top officials to fabricate the Russia-Gate scandal that hampered President Donald Trump’s first term.

On Friday, Gabbard released over 100 pages of documents, consisting mainly of emails from the final months of the Obama administration. According to Gabbard, the emails demonstrate a concerted effort to create the Russia-Gate narrative. The documents show that weeks after the 2016 election, the intelligence community had not found evidence of significant Russian interference. An assessment from then-DNI James Clapper’s office on December 7, 2016, concluded, “We have no evidence of cyber manipulation of election infrastructure intended to alter results.”

However, Gabbard claims the narrative dramatically shifted following a White House meeting on December 9, 2016. Speaking on Fox News, Gabbard stated that Obama directed the intelligence community to produce an assessment detailing how, not if, Moscow had “affected the outcome of the election.” The resulting Intelligence Community Assessment, published on January 7, 2017, asserted that Russia interfered to harm Hillary Clinton and help Trump. Gabbard called this document the “foundational groundwork” for a “years-long coup against President Trump.”

Gabbard has called for indictments, stating that her office will provide all evidence to the Department of Justice and that those responsible for the “treasonous conspiracy” must be held accountable, regardless of their former positions. Any decision to prosecute, however, will ultimately be at the discretion of Attorney General Pam Bondi. Democrats have pushed back, with the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), calling Gabbard’s conclusions wrong and politically motivated. Himes said that legitimate investigations found “no evidence of politicization” and endorsed the findings of the original 2016 assessment.

This comes as Obama’s CIA Director John Brennan and FBI Director James Comey are reportedly under investigation by the FBI. The probes were revealed after current CIA Director John Ratcliffe released a report finding that Brennan, Comey, and Clapper likely corrupted the 2017 intelligence assessment for political purposes, evidenced in part by the inclusion of the Steele Dossier.

Trump Sues The Wall Street Journal

Topline: President Trump is suing The Wall Street Journal for libel following a report on his alleged relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and has now called for the release of related grand jury testimony.

On Thursday, The Wall Street Journal published a report claiming to have “reviewed” a letter allegedly written by Trump to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. The story, which did not include a photo of the letter, quoted it as saying, “A pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday, and may every day be another wonderful secret.” The letter also allegedly stated, “We have certain things in common, Jeffrey,” and included a crude hand-drawn picture of a naked woman signed by Trump.

President Trump vehemently denied the report on social media, writing, “The Wall Street Journal printed a FAKE letter, supposedly to Epstein. These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures.” On Friday, his lawyers filed an 18-page libel suit in a Miami federal court against the newspaper’s owner, Rupert Murdoch, seeking a minimum of $10 billion in damages. The suit claims the story was “concocted to malign President Trump’s character and integrity and deceptively portray him in a false light.” Dow Jones, the Journal’s parent company, responded that it has “full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting.”

In an apparent move to demonstrate transparency, President Trump issued a statement asking Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek court approval for the release of “any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony” related to the Epstein investigation. Bondi said she would immediately begin that process.

Unsealing grand jury transcripts is a difficult legal process that requires proving a “particularized need” to the courts. The process could take months, and any documents that are released would likely be heavily redacted.

Congress Pushes ‘Amnesty’

Topline: A bipartisan bill known as the Dignity Act, co-sponsored by Republican and Democrat members of Congress, would grant legal status to millions of illegal aliens and shield them from deportation, sparking a debate over amnesty.

The legislation, introduced by Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) and Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), would allow illegal aliens who have been in the U.S. for five years or more without a criminal record to apply for a seven-year legal status and work authorization. To qualify, they would be required to pay taxes and a total of $7,000 in fees over the seven-year period.

The bill provides a separate path for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA recipients without a criminal record could obtain permanent legal status if they hold a job for four years, earn a degree, or serve in the military, effectively putting them on a pathway to citizenship. In a press conference, Salazar called on President Trump to support the legislation, stating, “If we get this wrong, future generations will pay the price in shame.”

The White House has signaled its opposition. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested the administration views the bill as a form of amnesty, stating, “The President has made it very clear that he will not give amnesty for illegal aliens in any way.” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Morning Wire that while she had not read the bill, President Trump has directed her agency to “uphold federal law” and ensure that “illegal criminals in this country are not going to get priority over Americans.”

Meanwhile, reports indicate that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is in discussions with the White House to revive a more hardline immigration bill. That legislation, which passed the House in 2023, would mandate the use of E-Verify for employers and reduce legal immigration by restricting parole and asylum eligibility.