Former President Barack Obama’s office strongly dismissed Donald Trump’s accusation that Obama committed “treason” and manipulated the 2016 and 2020 US elections, labeling the claim as “bizarre,” “ridiculous,” and a “weak attempt at distraction.”
The accusation surfaced during a press interaction where Trump, sidestepping questions about Jeffrey Epstein, shifted focus to Obama, alleging criminal behavior by the former president and his administration.
Trump escalates attacks amid Epstein distraction
Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “After what they did to me... it’s time to go after people. Obama’s been caught directly.” He added, “This was treason… They tried to steal the election.”
Trump’s comments come at a time when the president is under renewed scrutiny over his past ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Obama’s office breaks silence
Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush issued a sharp rebuttal: “Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense... But these claims are outrageous... and a weak attempt at distraction.”
Rodenbush further noted that Trump’s allegations rely on misleading interpretations of intelligence reports, particularly regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Gabbard and Ratcliffe fuel election conspiracy claims
Trump’s renewed attacks are linked to recent statements by National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Gabbard claimed on social media that Obama-era officials manipulated intelligence to undermine Trump’s 2016 victory and announced a criminal referral to the Justice Department.
Gabbard alleged that an internal intelligence briefing from December 2016, which found no direct Russian tampering with vote counts, was 'abruptly pulled' before reaching the president. However, experts and past public statements by Obama contradict her interpretation.
What the official record says
The Obama administration has consistently stated that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 election, not by altering votes but through hacking and misinformation.
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and a 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report led by Republican Senator Marco Rubio both confirmed that Russia aimed to help Trump’s campaign by leaking hacked materials and spreading online propaganda.
Rodenbush emphasised this point again, saying, “Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election.”
Durham report criticised FBI, but found no treason
A special counsel investigation led by John Durham, appointed by then-Attorney General Bill Barr, did criticise how the FBI handled the Trump-Russia probe. However, it did not support Trump’s current allegations of criminal conspiracy or treason.
The Senate Intelligence Committee’s final report was even more direct: “Russia’s goal... was to assist the Trump Campaign. Candidate Trump and his Campaign responded... by embracing, encouraging, and exploiting the Russian effort.”
Democrats say Trump is deflecting with disinformation
Top Democrats believe Trump’s latest allegations are aimed at shifting attention from other scandals, particularly renewed focus on his past relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
“It’s all a distraction,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar. “They’ll release anything if it buys them another day or two to not talk about Epstein.”
Senator Mark Warner, a top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, also weighed in: “This is just another example of the DNI trying to cook the books, rewrite history, and erode trust in the intelligence agencies she’s supposed to be leading.”
Trump targets Democrats on Truth Social
Amid backlash from MAGA supporters and media pressure over Epstein, Trump has ramped up his online attacks. He has accused longtime rivals like Rep. Adam Schiff of criminal behavior and even shared AI-generated mugshots of Democratic leaders.
Meanwhile, the Department of Justice this week released thousands of documents related to the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and sent a redacted report to Sen. Chuck Grassley about the FBI’s handling of Hillary Clinton’s emails, two issues that Trump has long used to fire up his base.
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