US President Donald Trump has accused Barack Obama of committing “treason” during the 2016 election. He claimed—without providing evidence—that Obama led a plot to falsely link Trump to Russia and ruin his campaign. Speaking on Tuesday, Trump said, “It’s there, he’s guilty. This was treason. They tried to steal the election, they tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody’s ever imagined, even in other countries.”
Trump based his statements on comments from his intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, who on Friday claimed that officials from the Obama administration may have committed crimes. Gabbard had declassified documents and argued that they showed evidence of a “treasonous conspiracy” in 2016 by top officials aiming to sabotage Trump’s election run.
In response, Obama’s office issued a rare public statement on Tuesday, dismissing Trump’s accusations as “bizarre,” “ridiculous,” and “a weak attempt at distraction.”
Patrick Rodenbush, Obama’s spokesperson, said, “Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.”
Rodenbush continued, saying the allegations had “no basis in fact” and were clearly intended to distract the public. He stated, “These bizarre allegations are baseless and a clear effort to divert attention. Nothing in the recently released document contradicts the well-established conclusion that Russia sought to influence the 2016 election but did not alter any votes.”
He pointed out that these findings had already been confirmed by a 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report, led by then-chairman Marco Rubio.
