Trump Accuses Obama of Treason Over 2016 Russia Probe

 

President Donald Trump has accused Barack Obama of treason, alleging that the former Democratic president led a conspiracy to falsely tie Trump to Russia and interfere in the 2016 election. Trump offered no evidence to support his claims, which he made during Oval Office remarks. He referenced comments from his current intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, who recently threatened to refer Obama-era officials to the Justice Department over their handling of a 2016 intelligence report on Russian interference. Gabbard claimed there was a "treasonous conspiracy" by top Obama officials to undermine Trump. Trump declared, “It’s there, he’s guilty. This was treason.” He further claimed that Obama and others tried to "steal" and "obfuscate" the election. These accusations were quickly dismissed by Obama’s spokesperson, Patrick Rodenbush, who called them "ridiculous" and politically motivated. The accusations come as Trump faces pressure from his supporters to release more information about Jeffrey Epstein. He deflected questions about Epstein by launching into attacks against Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Trump has suggested that action should be taken against those involved in the original Russia probe, claiming they were part of a "coup." Critics argue that Trump’s allegations are baseless and serve as a distraction. Representative Jim Himes described Trump’s comments as “a lie,” citing the bipartisan Senate intelligence report that found no political bias in the original assessments about Russian interference.

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The U.S. intelligence community concluded in January 2017 that Russia interfered in the 2016 election through disinformation campaigns, hacking, and social media manipulation, aiming to harm Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump. However, the report found no evidence that votes were changed or the final outcome manipulated. A 2020 bipartisan Senate investigation confirmed those findings and detailed how Russia used operatives like Paul Manafort and outlets like WikiLeaks to assist Trump’s campaign. Trump has repeatedly labeled the Russia probe a "hoax" and claims it was part of a broader effort to undermine him. In recent days, he amplified those claims by reposting a fake video showing Obama being arrested in handcuffs, intensifying his rhetoric against his predecessor. Trump’s renewed attacks come amid calls from his base to expose supposed conspiracies surrounding Epstein, a disgraced financier who died in jail in 2019. Trump’s deflections have fueled accusations that he is trying to shift attention from growing legal scrutiny and political pressure. Gabbard’s claims, which Trump cited, rely on declassified intelligence but have been widely discredited. Her assertion conflates two different findings: one that Russia did not attempt to hack vote tallies and another that it did use cyber and media strategies to influence American voters. The 2017 assessment, ordered under Obama, built on the latter finding and was supported by a classified CIA report. A review ordered by former Trump intelligence chief John Ratcliffe acknowledged some flaws in how the assessment was produced but ultimately upheld its conclusions. Despite this, Trump and his allies continue to reject the report’s credibility and allege criminal wrongdoing by Obama and his officials, even though no evidence has been produced to support those claims.

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