Obama office rejects Trump’s ‘treason’ charge, calls it ‘weak attempt at distraction’

WASHINGTON: Former US President Barack Obama has denied allegations by the Trump administration that he manipulated intelligence related to Russian interference in the 2016 election, calling the claims “bizarre” and “a weak attempt at distraction,” The Hill reported.

“These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesperson for Obama, said in a statement sent to NewsNation, The Hill’s sister company.

“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. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio,” he added, according to The Hill.

The Hill reported that Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard issued a report last Friday detailing the alleged election fraud, stating that officials involved were engaged in a “treasonous conspiracy.” Gabbard also stated that her office was turning over evidence to the Justice Department for possible criminal referrals, with the support of President Donald Trump.

“He’s guilty, it’s not a question,” Trump told reporters referring to Obama. “This was treason, this was every word you can think of,” The Hill quoted him as saying.

Trump also claimed that several former top officials, including then-Vice President Joe Biden, former FBI director James Comey, former DNI director James Clapper and former CIA director John Brennan, could face criminal charges, The Hill reported.

The allegations stem from a recent memo Trump issued in March, directing the declassification of all files related to “Crossfire Hurricane,” the FBI’s codename for the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The Hill further noted that Trump has consistently denied that Russia had any influence on his 2016 campaign victory over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Clinton campaign were fined by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for failing to disclose spending on the investigation into Trump’s alleged ties to Russia. According to a letter sent by the FEC, the DNC was fined $105,000 and the Clinton campaign was fined $8,000.

The investigation was led by law firm Perkins Coie, which used research from Fusion GPS. The firm later hired retired British spy Christopher Steele to probe foreign involvement in the US election, The Hill reported. (ANI)