Former President Barack Obama has released a rare statement on “Russia-gate” after President Donald Trump accused him of committing “treason.”
“These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said in a statement published by multiple outlets Tuesday.
The allegations against Obama stemmed from a report issued Friday by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
Gabbard claimed Obama and his top officials committed “treasonous conspiracy” in the investigation surrounding Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. Russia has denied meddling in the election and Trump has insisted the assessments about the interference are a “hoax.”
The national intelligence director said she was referring Obama administration officials, including ex-FBI director James Comey, to the Justice Department for prosecution over allegations they had “manufactured” intelligence to substantiate the idea that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump beat Obama’s former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The anti-Obama rhetoric continued when Gabbard appeared on Maria Bartiromo’s Fox News show Sunday Morning Futures over the weekend and accused the former president of orchestrating a “years-long coup” to keep Trump from the White House.
Trump shared a fake, AI- generated, video of Obama being arrested and thrown in jail on his Truth Social account Sunday.
In the Oval Office Tuesday, Trump accused his predecessor of “treason.”
“It’s there, he’s guilty. This was treason,” Trump said, according to Reuters. “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 did not provide any evidence to back up his claims.
After days of accusations and threats of prosecution being hurled at Obama the former president released a statement.
“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,” Rodenbush said. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.”
“These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction. Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes,” he added.
Rodenbush also mentioned the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee’s 2020 report that found Russia used resources, including Republican political operative Paul Manafort and the WikiLeaks website, to try to influence the 2016 election in Trump’s favor. The report did not conclude the Trump campaign engaged with Russia to help carry out the alleged conspiracy.
The new allegations against Obama come as the Trump administration is embroiled in its own conflict surrounding the handling of government files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Gabbard called Obama’s statement “the art of deflection” in a Fox News interview Tuesday.
She then repeated her earlier talking points: “Led by President Obama, there was an effort to create a document that would serve as a foundation for what would be a years-long coup against President Trump, therefore trying to subvert the will of the American people.”