Obama Pushes Back On Trump's 'outrageous' And 'bizarre' Treason Claim

Former President Barack Obama's agency issued a uncommon rebuke of President Donald Trump connected Tuesday aft nan president accused his predecessor of having committed "treason" and rigging nan 2016 and 2020 elections.

"Out of respect for nan agency of nan presidency, our agency does not usually dignify nan changeless delirium and misinformation flowing retired of this White House pinch a response," Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said. "But these claims are outrageous capable to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a anemic effort astatine distraction."

When reporters connected Tuesday asked Trump astir nan precocious convicted activity offender Jeffrey Epstein, he pivoted to what he called Obama's "criminality."

“After what they did to maine — and whether it’s correct aliases wrong, it’s clip to spell aft people. Obama’s been caught directly,” Trump told reporters. “What they did successful 2016 and 2020 is very criminal. It’s criminal astatine nan highest level. So that’s really nan things you should beryllium talking about.”

“Look, he’s guilty. It’s not a question,” Trump added. “This was treason. This was each connection you tin deliberation of. They tried to bargain nan election. They tried to obfuscate nan election.”

Trump was referring to claims made by National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe successful societal media posts and tv appearances that they had recovered Obama management officials manipulated intelligence and conspired to undermine nan legitimacy of Trump’s electoral triumph successful 2016.

Gabbard posted connected societal media on Friday that she was making a criminal referral to nan Justice Department.

Rodenbush said nan Trump management is being misleading astir nan accusation it's utilizing to push its claims.

"Nothing successful nan archive issued past week undercuts nan wide accepted conclusion that Russia worked to power nan 2016 statesmanlike predetermination but did not successfully manipulate immoderate votes. These findings were affirmed successful a 2020 study by nan bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio," Rodenbush said.

Asked to remark connected Obama's statement, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said, "The White House is appreciative of Director Gabbard’s committedness to transparency and effort to extremity nan weaponization of authorities against American citizens.”

Gabbard alleges nan documents show that Russia did not activity to interfere successful nan 2016 predetermination for Trump's benefit, contempt galore investigations that showed otherwise.

“On Dec 8, 2016, IC officials prepared an appraisal for nan President’s Daily Brief, uncovering that Russia 'did not effect caller U.S. predetermination results' by conducting cyber attacks connected infrastructure. Before it could scope nan President, it was abruptly pulled 'based connected caller guidance.' This cardinal intelligence appraisal was ne'er published,” Gabbard wrote successful 1 post.

The Obama administration, however, ne'er claimed that Russian cyberattacks impacted nan predetermination results. “I tin guarantee nan nationalist that location was not nan benignant of tampering pinch nan voting process that was of interest … nan votes that were formed were counted — they were counted appropriately,” Obama said from nan White House, days aft receiving nan December 2016 little to which Gabbard referred.

The Obama White House said that Russia sought to interfere successful nan run by leaking hacked documents and utilizing bots and troll farms to dispersed misinformation astir nan predetermination — a uncovering that was later backed by typical counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and a Senate report.

Another typical counsel, appointed by then-Attorney General Bill Barr and championed by Trump, investigated claims that nan Russia-related investigations were politicized for complete 3 years. John Durham's study was captious of nan FBI's handling of nan probe, saying that it recovered elder "FBI unit displayed a superior deficiency of analytical rigor toward nan accusation they received" — but thing to nan level of criminality now alleged by Trump.

The Senate report, meanwhile, was unequivocal astir Russia's actions.

“The Committee’s bipartisan Report recovered that Russia’s extremity successful its unprecedented hack-and-leak cognition against nan United States successful 2016, among different motives, was to assistance nan Trump Campaign. Candidate Trump and his Campaign responded to that threat by embracing, encouraging, and exploiting nan Russian effort," nan study said.

Democratic lawmakers said nan management is trying to rewrite history successful bid to assuage Trump.

“This is conscionable different illustration of nan DNI trying to navigator nan books, rewrite history, and erode spot successful nan intelligence agencies she’s expected to beryllium leading,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said successful a statement.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California told NBC News connected Monday that “it’s each a distraction."

"[T]hey’ll merchandise thing if it buys them different time aliases 2 to not talk astir Epstein aliases to get nan angry mob to talk astir Epstein,” Aguilar said.

The Russia investigation is only 1 of a number of old grievances that Trump has revived successful caller days while coping pinch backlash from MAGA supporters about nan handling of nan Epstein case.

Trump has utilized his Truth Social societal media level to impeach his aged foe Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., of breaking nan law, and shared AI-generated mug shots of various Democratic officials who've been Republican bogeymen complete nan years.

The Justice Department, meanwhile, released thousands of files related to Martin Luther King Jr's assassination connected Monday, and announced it had sent a redacted study to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, astir nan FBI’s handling of files related to “former-FBI Director James Comey’s grounded investigation into Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of highly classified information” during Clinton’s clip arsenic caput of state.