
Trump Envisions Jailing Obama
The current President shared on his Truth Social platform on Sunday a video from TikTok user @neo8171 that starts with a montage of Democratic politicians, including Obama, saying, 'No one is above the law,' to the tune of Luciano Michelini's 'Frolic' (made famous as the theme song of sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm). After about 40 seconds, the soundtrack changes to the Village People's 'Y.M.C.A.,' as apparently AI-generated video depicts Trump and Obama sitting in the Oval Office, and Federal Bureau of Investigations officers handcuffing Obama while Trump laughs. It ends with an AI-generated depiction of Obama pacing around a jail cell.
Trump also shared an AI-generated image attributed to X user @sirtemplemount that showed fake mugshots of Obama and officials from his Administration with the words 'The Shady Bunch.'
And the President shared a screenshot from X of user @Real_JaredMarsh, who responded to a clip of Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R, Fla.) saying on Fox News that 'there needs to be criminal prosecution and arrests.' Marsh posted, 'I agree with @RepLuna!' alongside an image of men being arrested outside the U.S. Capitol with the words 'Unless this happens, nothing will change' overlaid on the image.
Trump's posts come after his Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat turned MAGA Republican, on Friday announced that she was turning over evidence of an 'Obama Administration Conspiracy to Subvert Trump's 2016 Victory and Presidency' to the Department of Justice 'for criminal referral.'
'President Obama and his national security cabinet members manufactured and politicized intelligence to lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President Trump,' she alleged in a DNI press release.
What Tulsi Gabbard claims about Obama officials
Gabbard's office declassified a number of documents and released a memo outlining a timeline of alleged information 'manipulated and withheld' by the U.S. Intelligence Community beginning in 2016. In a series of social media posts summarizing her findings, she said the documents 'detail a treasonous conspiracy by officials at the highest levels of the Obama White House to subvert the will of the American people and try to usurp the President from fulfilling his mandate.'
The announcement backs Trump's longtime contention that he was the victim of a 'witch hunt,' which the President has previously dubbed the 'Russiagate hoax.'
Gabbard's announcement comes after Fox News reported earlier this month that the FBI is investigating its former director James Comey as well as former CIA director John Brennan for possible false statements to Congress after current CIA director John Ratcliffe released a review in June that was critical of a 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment that claimed Russia attempted to influence the 2016 election to help Trump.
Intelligence agencies in 2017 had assessed that 'Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency.'
Gabbard alleges that Obama Administration officials leaked false statements to media outlets and manufactured information for the 2017 assessment. Gabbard's office asserts that there was 'no indication of a Russian threat to directly manipulate the actual vote count,' though the earlier assessment never suggested that.
Gabbard's report is based on newly-declassified intelligence assessments and internal communications prior to the 2016 election that assessed that Russia and other foreign adversaries would 'probably not' try to influence the election through cyber means, as well as emails concerning an intelligence assessment at Obama's request after Trump's victory in November 2016 into 'tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election.' The Obama Administration openly accused Russia of trying to influence the election through hacking campaigns, including of the DNC, in October 2016, and it was publicly reported in early 2017 that Obama Administration officials had scrambled to preserve evidence related to the then-ongoing probe of Russian interference and potential coordination with Trump and his associates.
'This was politicized intelligence that was used as the basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump's victory, the years-long Mueller investigation, two Congressional impeachments, high level officials being investigated, arrested, and thrown in jail, heightened US-Russia tensions, and more,' Gabbard's office said.
'It's worse than even politicization of intelligence. It was manufactured intelligence that sought to achieve President Obama and his team's objective, which was undermining President Trump's presidency and subverting the will of the American people. So, yes, next week we will be releasing more detailed information about how this took place and the extent to which this information was sought to be hidden,' Gabbard told Fox News on Sunday, in a clip that was also shared by Trump. 'For the American people to have any sense of trust in the integrity of our democratic republic, accountability, action, prosecution, indictments for those who were responsible for trying to steal our democracy is essential for us to make sure that this never happens to our country again.'
How Republicans have reacted
Fox News called Gabbard's announcement 'a potential blockbuster scandal,' and Trump shared the clip alongside the latter two words in all caps. A number of Trump allies have also supported Gabbard's declassifications and call for prosecutions.
'This is potentially Watergate-esque,' Rep. Pat Fallon (R, Texas) told the right-leaning news network over the weekend.
'Makes Watergate look like amateur hour,' Rep. Pat Harrigan (R, N.C.) posted on X.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt boosted Gabbard's posts on X, writing 'Every American should read this.'
White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller said in a post on X that Gabbard 'exposed the startling depths of a seditious coup against the Republic. The forces behind this coup have done and will do anything to protect their grasp on illegal & illegitimate power. Do not underestimate their capabilities or depravities. But WE are stronger.'
'These tyrants are finally being called out for what they've done,' Sen. Mike Lee (R, Utah) posted on X. 'The Russiagate hoax was a far more effective attack on our republic & our elections than any foreign adversary could have managed. Those who sold this lie to the American people became the very same villains they invented,' he added from his official account.
'The corruption runs deep in the Swamp. Thank goodness we have a President and administration committed to truth and accountability,' posted Rep. Troy Nehls (R, Texas).
'EVERYONE involved must be held to account,' Rep. Andy Biggs (R, Ariz.) posted. Added Rep. Greg Steube (R, Fla.): 'This is only the beginning. Much more will be revealed.'
How Democrats have reacted
Democrats have criticized the report as misleading and politically motivated. Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called the report 'baseless' and an attempt to rehash 'decade-old false claims about the Obama Administration.'
'Few episodes in our nation's history have been investigated as thoroughly as the Intelligence Community's warning in 2016 that Russia was interfering in the election,' Himes said in a statement. 'Every legitimate investigation, including the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee investigation, found no evidence of politicization and endorsed the findings of the 2016 Intelligence Community Assessment.'
Himes referred to a Republican-led Senate report in 2020 that agreed with the 2017 findings of Russian influence. That report was backed by now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio and found 'no evidence' of collusion between Trump and the Russian government in the 2016 election but did find 'irrefutable evidence of Russian meddling.' There have been several other reviews since 2017 that also backed the assessment. Even the CIA report last month that criticized the 2017 assessment as rushed and potentially biased did not dispute the assessment's conclusion that Russia favored Trump in the 2016 election.
Himes also seemed to suggest that the report is an effort to distract from controversy rocking the Trump Administration surrounding Trump's links to convicted sex offender and alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. 'It's a day that ends with 'y' and Donald Trump desperately wants to change the subject,' Himes said in his statement.
Himes told CBS News that he doubted any charges against Obama Administration officials would actually come, saying: 'They won't, because there's not a judge in the land—not a single judge—who will treat this with anything other than laughter that will be heard from the Atlantic to the Pacific.' Himes related the outrage Republicans are now ginning up among their supporters over alleged 'treason' to the conspiracy theories Republicans had previously fanned about Epstein before Trump and his Administration told them the case was closed and to move on. 'This is Epstein all over again.'
Read More: Why Trump Can't Put Out the Epstein Fire He Helped Ignite
Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Community, told the New York Times: 'This is one more example of the Director of National Intelligence trying to cook the books.' He added that a March Intelligence Community report 'acknowledged that Russia's effort to meddle goes on. That was an assessment under [Gabbard's] watch.'
'Moscow probably believes information operations efforts to influence U.S. elections are advantageous, regardless of whether they affect election outcomes, because reinforcing doubt in the integrity of the U.S. electoral system achieves one of its core objectives,' the annual threat assessment had said.
'It is sadly not surprising that DNI Gabbard, who promised to depoliticize the intelligence community,' Warner said in a statement, 'is once again weaponizing her position to amplify the President's election conspiracy theories.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Chicago Tribune
13 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
The Tribune's Quotes of the Week quiz for July 26
It was another hot and humid week in Chicago. With dangerous heat engulfing the city, residents again turned to box fans and AC units for relief from the soaring temps — that is despite recent spikes in electric costs. The heat subsided only to welcome thunderstorms that knocked out power for 50,000 ComEd customers. But it wasn't all doom and gloom this week. After years of construction, four North Side Red Line stations reopened Sunday, and in some good news for homeowners, Mayor Brandon Johnson said he won't seek a property tax hike in his upcoming budget proposal. Gov. JB Pritzker, along with 17 other Democratic governors, petitioned the Trump administration to release nearly $7 billion in withheld federal education grants. On Friday, the Department of Education did just that. But local education leaders are still struggling with their own funding problems. At Thursday's Chicago Board of Education meeting, Chief Budget Officer Michael Sitkowski reiterated that Chicago Public Schools has identified $165 million in spending reductions, including cuts to its administrative staff and vendor contracts, but the district is still searching for a solution to its $734 million budget deficit. Two of the four defendants in the 'ComEd Four' case were sentenced this week. Ex-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and the utility's former lobbyist Michael McClain will spend two years in prison for their part in the elaborate scheme to bribe then-House Speaker Michael Madigan. New Tribune reporting shows arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are up in Chicago since President Donald Trump took office, and local children recently received deportation letters from the Department of Homeland Security. Meanwhile, on Friday, a federal judge in Chicago blocked the Trump administration's challenge over sanctuary policies in the state of Illinois. In global news, the United States cut short ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas on Thursday, while hunger and malnutrition surges in Gaza. France also announced this week that the country will recognize Palestine as a state. Three big names in the world of celebrity and entertainment passed away this week. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the 54-year-old actor best known for his role as teenage son Theo Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show,' died in an accidental drowning Sunday in Costa Rica. Ozzy Osbourne, lead singer of Black Sabbath and godfather of heavy metal, died at the age of 76, just weeks after his farewell show. And professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan died Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest. He was 71. Plus, the Chicago Cubs and White Sox play each other in this weekend's City Series at Rate Field. It's a matchup with stakes for both teams, as the Sox come off their best roadtrip since September 2022 and the Cubs just dropped from first place in their division. That's it for the headlines! Now here's the Tribune's Quotes of the Week quiz for July 20 to 26. Missed last week? You can find it here or check out our past editions of Quotes of the Week.


The Hill
13 minutes ago
- The Hill
Five unanswered questions around Trump and the Epstein saga
The controversy over Jeffrey Epstein rumbles on, despite President Trump's efforts to put it behind him. It's been almost three weeks since a joint, unsigned memo from the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) insisted 'no incriminating 'client list'' had been found among material related to Epstein. The memo also contended that there had been 'no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.' The statement caused a firestorm – including among many Trump supporters, who had been primed to expect big revelations about Epstein, the sexual predator and disgraced financier who died, apparently of suicide, in 2019. Attorney General Pam Bondi had said in a February Fox News interview that an Epstein client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' In previous years, people very close to Trump, including his eldest son Don Jr. and Vice President Vance, had suggested there was a nefarious motive behind the failure to disclose more material about Epstein. But even as the controversy moves on, there are many unanswered questions. Here are five of the biggest. What happens with Ghislaine Maxwell? Developments around Maxwell, the British socialite and Epstein associate, have been among the most intriguing new developments. Todd Blanche, the second highest ranking figure in the DOJ, met with Maxwell in Tallahassee, Fla., on Thursday and Friday. Maxwell received a 20-year prison sentence in 2022 for conspiring with Epstein in his abuse. The unusual move by Blanche, who served as one of Trump's personal attorneys before ascending to his current role at the DOJ, has become a partisan flashpoint. Democrats and other Trump critics are warning of the prospect of some kind of quid-pro-quo deal, in which Maxwell would be offered a pardon, or at least some level of clemency, in return for exculpatory words on Trump. 'The conflict of interest just stares you in the face,' Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a speech on Thursday. Blanche has defended the meetings as a straightforward pursuit of more information. In a statement on Tuesday, he said, 'President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence. If Ghislane Maxwell has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say.' There are reasons to be skeptical about whether lenient treatment of Maxwell would quel the controversy. It might just as easily ratchet it up. But on Friday, before leaving for a trip to Scotland, Trump notably did not rule out a pardon or clemency of Maxwell. 'I'm allowed to do it but it's something I have not thought about,' he told reporters at the White House. How does Trump's case against the Wall Street Journal go? The Epstein matter has seen Trump go into full legal battle against the Wall Street Journal, its parent company News Corporation and media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Trump says he was defamed by a Journal story that alleged a letter bearing his name and a drawing was included in an album put together by Maxwell to mark Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. The president is seeking $10 billion in damages. The Journal has stood by its story and has continued to report vigorously on Trump and Epstein. On Wednesday, days after Trump filed his suit, the Journal reported that Trump had been told by the DOJ back in May that his name was mentioned in the Epstein files – though the news organization noted that such a mention is not, in itself, evidence of wrongdoing. The fact that neither Trump nor Murdoch are inclined to back down sets up a striking clash, not least because of the Murdoch family's role at Fox News. Is Pam Bondi in trouble? Some Republicans and other Trump allies plainly blame Bondi for at least part of the political mess in which they find themselves. They contend that the attorney general's comments in the February Fox interview were the spark that ignited the flame of controversy that is now burning the president. A former attorney for Trump and Epstein told the BBC this week that the DOJ had 'jumped the gun a bit' in overhyping the information that they had. 'They were in favor, for good reasons, of disclosing and full transparency, but they didn't know what they had yet,' David Schoen told the BBC's 'Newsnight.' Meanwhile, Politico reported this week on GOP disquiet over Bondi's role, quoting one unnamed senior House GOP aide saying, 'I think she, from pillar to post, handled this thing so badly and bizarrely.' But voices close to Trump, including White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, have publicly defended Bondi, stressing her work to advance Trump's broader agenda. The New York Times also reported on Thursday that Bondi 'felt blindsided and annoyed' by demands from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that the DOJ should probe actions taken by the Obama administration in relation to Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Will Republicans rally around Trump? The Epstein controversy has been unusually damaging to Trump because it has cracked the unity of the GOP and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base. A Wall Street Journal poll released on Thursday evening, found that 69 percent of all registered voters – and a striking 54 percent of Republicans – had either little or no confidence that the DOJ had fully investigated the Epstein matter. Elected Republicans have also made a stand, at least in some cases. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is leading an effort to force the DOJ to release as much documentation as possible on Epstein. In a separate, closely-watched vote on a House panel this week, three Republicans – Reps. Nancy Mace (S.C.), Brian Jack (Ga.) and Scott Perry (Pa.) – voted with Democrats to subpoena the DOJ for Epstein documents. Republicans are also expected to receive plenty of hostile questioning on the Epstein matter from their constituents while the House is on its summer recess. All of that being said, Trump's overall grip on the GOP is tight. He may well be able to bring his party into firmer line. How long does the story keep making headlines? The new lease of life for the Epstein story shows no real signs of dying down – much to Trump's displeasure. Indeed, actions that he or his allies have taken have injected new fuel into the furor. Trump's case against the Journal and Blanche's meetings with Ghislaine Maxwell both fall into that category. Critics allege that some other actions taken by the Trump administration, including the rash of loud allegations against the Obama administration over the 2016 election, are intended as a distraction from the Epstein matter. If that's the case, they haven't really worked. It's always possible that some major domestic or world event could intervene and banish Epstein from the headlines. But Massie, the maverick Kentucky Republican leading the fight for more disclosure, told reporters this week that he expected public demands on the issue to grow stronger over the summer. If that proves true, it's very bad news for Trump.


The Hill
13 minutes ago
- The Hill
Polls turn sour on Trump as he hits new lows with independents
President Trump is facing his most challenging political moment of his second term, with rough poll numbers and growing furor over his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case. Trump saw some of his lowest approval ratings of his second term over the past week, with his net approval in the Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) average falling to more than 9 points underwater. He's seen declines, in particular, among independents and on his handling of certain key issues like immigration. At the same time, he's trying to tame an ongoing headache stemming from the controversial case of the financier and convicted sex offender. While his numbers certainly haven't bottomed out, they indicate to a tough moment for Trump after a series of major victories in recent months. Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist University Institute for Public Opinion, said Trump's quickly shifting political fortunes are part of his skill at 'keeping the focus moving all the time,' which requires redirecting people's attention to his benefit. 'But you do take a cost that your victories are short-lived, and the net effect is there's still an awful lot that people feel has not been accomplished and that he hasn't fulfilled a lot of campaign promises, even though some of it clearly was written and spoken of during the campaign,' he added. Just a few weeks ago, Trump was in a considerably stronger place politically. His 'big, beautiful bill' was able to overcome a number of congressional roadblocks, and he signed it into law on July 4, his previously stated goal. In June, the Supreme Court didn't settle the legal scrutiny around Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship, but it handed him a win by stopping lower-court judges from issuing nationwide injunctions. That same month, the number of immigrants detained after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally dropped to a record low, and Trump ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, followed by a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that's held. In the lead-up to and during some of that time, Trump's approval rating showed signs of modest improvement. His net approval rating fell underwater for the first time in the DDHQ average for his second term in early March, and it stayed net negative through the end of his first 100 days back in office. It started to tick up in mid-May, and his approval rating returned to net positive for a day on June 5. But since then, several measures of the public's opinion on the administration have been going in the wrong direction for Trump. His net approval rating reached its lowest point yet in the DDHQ rating Monday, falling 9.2 points in the negative, while his disapproval rating in the RealClearPolitics average reached its highest point Wednesday at 52.7 percent. Some polls have been better for Trump, with an Emerson College Polling survey only showing him 1 point underwater, but multiple major pollsters have found him trending in the wrong direction recently, including Morning Consult, YouGov/The Economist and Gallup. The Gallup poll could particularly be a warning sign for Trump and the GOP, with 37 percent of respondents saying they approve of his job performance, down from 40 percent last month and 43 percent in May. The major group driving the downturn appears to be independents, with only 29 percent saying they approve of him, equivalent to the lowest level he had with them through either of his terms in office. Democratic strategist Joe Caiazzo said the numbers are evidence that any grace period Trump enjoyed has ended. 'The honeymoon is over because, per usual, the chaos and instability of the Trump administration has not led, has not resolved, has not given the results the working people need to improve their daily lives,' he said. He pointed to continued inflation amid Trump's tariff policy, along with the public witnessing major raids from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detaining people at places like schools, hospitals and churches. One eye-opening finding from recent polling has been Trump starting to struggle with how the public views his handling of immigration, an issue that has long been one of his biggest strengths. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found this month that the president's approval on the issue fell to a second-term record low of 41 percent. The downturn began after the increase in ICE raids in California. A poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research gathered similar findings. Meanwhile, the Epstein files have dominated national attention for the past few weeks and have stirred significant backlash, including from some of Trump's MAGA base. An Emerson poll showed more than half of all respondents disapproved of Trump's handling of the Epstein files, while only 16 percent approved. Republicans have indicated they weren't too concerned about the polls, pointing to the Democrats' record-low approval ratings of late and the continually steady support Trump has among his base. Despite the frustration related to the Epstein files, polls haven't found any notable drop in Republicans' backing of Trump, with 85 percent to 90 percent approving of him in most cases. Republican strategist Dave Carney said the Epstein case is a 'distraction' compared to other issues that the average person cares about, like affordability. He said he's not worried about this becoming a major issue for now, but the administration should release the documents to move on. 'Communications is a vital part of getting anything accomplished,' Carney said. 'They just got off on the wrong foot on this. They just need to fix what they can and move on.' Republican strategist Brady Smith argued that a benefit for Trump of not having to worry about reelection is he can move forward with policies that he believes are in the country's interest even if the poll numbers suggest they're not popular. 'One of the big takeaways here is with the president unable to seek another term in the White House, he doesn't have to play to the polls as much,' he said. 'He's able to put into practice what he campaigned on, and deportations and securing of the border was top of the list. Voters knew what they were voting for at the time.' But Democrats are hoping the numbers and pressure on Trump will be an opportunity for them as they look toward the midterms, particularly as Trump's signature legislative achievement, the 'big, beautiful bill,' also has performed poorly in the polls. 'There are no future electoral consequences for him,' Democratic strategist Roy Occhiogrosso said. 'There are future electoral consequences as soon as next year for the Republican Party.' Despite Trump following through on campaign promises like instituting tariffs and rooting out illegal immigration, Miringoff said the shift among independents and others against Trump on key issues may illustrate the difference between campaigning and governing. 'It hasn't looked as nice as it was packaged running against the Democrats,' he said, adding that implementing the tariffs has been 'more complicated' than how Trump described it in his campaign messages. He said Trump's 'magic' always has been 'keeping the ball moving' so the public's attention doesn't stick too much to any one issue, but he's having more difficulty moving on from these issues dragging him down in polling. 'He's been masterful at that throughout his public career, and now he's having significant problems turning the page,' Miringoff said.