Former President Barack Obama is firing back at Donald Trump’s accusation that he orchestrated the Trump–Russia investigation.
On Tuesday evening, Obama’s spokesperson released a rare public statement in response to Trump’s earlier claims that the former president was the “ringleader” behind the Russiagate probe and should be criminally investigated. The allegations follow the release of declassified documents suggesting the Obama administration may have “manufactured” intelligence.
“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,” Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said. “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.”
“These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” Rodenbush continued. “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 pointed to the 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report, led by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, which affirmed that conclusion.
Trump’s comments came after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified files she said show “overwhelming evidence” that Obama’s national security team laid the groundwork for a politically motivated investigation into Trump after his 2016 win.
The documents name several top Obama-era officials — including DNI James Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan, National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Secretary of State John Kerry, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe — as allegedly participating in the effort to push the Trump–Russia narrative, despite conflicting intelligence.
According to Gabbard, those officials “manufactured and politicized” intelligence to create the appearance of Russian election interference — a charge that now has the political world bracing for further fallout.