
Tulsi Gabbard says ‘further documents' to be released today proving ‘Obama coup'
Gabbard announced on Friday that she was referring Obama administration officials – including ex-FBI director James Comey, ex-CIA director John Brennan, and her own predecessor James Clapper – to the Justice Department over their roles in the alleged plot to undermine Trump's victory over Hillary Clinton.
She subsequently accused the Democrat of orchestrating a 'yearslong coup' against Trump during an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News 's Sunday Morning Futures.
Central to her claim is a National Security Council (NSC) meeting held on December 9, 2016, at which, she alleges, the 44th president ordered a new report be compiled detailing 'the tools Moscow used and actions it took to influence the 2016 election' in the Republican's favor, overruling an earlier, less certain assessment.
The report in question was duly published in January 2017.
A spokesperson for Obama said on Tuesday: '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. 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.
'These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee led by then-chairman [and now U.S. Secretary of State] Marco Rubio.'
Speaking to Newsmax last night, Gabbard was confronted with Obama's rebuttal by host Rob Schmitt and responded: 'We will be releasing further documents tomorrow that will refute that statement.
'We will be pulling a whole host of statements that were made by the Obama administration, by Hillary Clinton, by senior Democrat officials, by their friends in the media that state, over and over again, after this January 2017 manufactured intelligence document was created, that repeat the narrative.'
Asked what quotes she had gathered, she answered: 'John Brennan says there is strong consensus among us to support the CIA claim Russian hackers aided Donald Trump's election; Hillary Clinton said, 'I would be president if not for the Russian hackers supporting Donald Trump.'
'There is a vast body of evidence and intelligence that debunks and refutes this statement you've just read and others coming from some of the Democrat leaders in Congress today.'
Gabbard also claimed that new whistleblowers had come forward since her initial announcement and added: 'The legal path forward will be up to the Department of Justice to determine. However, I will say how essential it is as an American that we hold people accountable, no matter how powerful they are, no matter what position they have held.
'It is essential that for the future of our nation and our democratic republic, that accountability must occur.'
In a second interview with Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, again on Fox, Gabbard once more refuted Obama's denial and said it was he, not her, that was engaged in 'the art of deflection.'
She insisted that, in late 2016, 'the intelligence community had one assessment, that Russia did not have the intent or capability to try to impact the outcome of the U.S. election' but that verdict abruptly changed after the NSC meeting at which Clapper was ordered to issue a new version detailing 'how, not if' Moscow had meddled.
Gabbard also accused Obama's intelligence officials of using 'already discredited information like the Steele dossier' to stand up their argument.
Trump himself has latched onto her claims, posting about them multiple times over the weekend on social media, on one occasion circulating an AI TikTok meme imagining Obama being arrested in the Oval Office and sent to jail.
However, his critics have, like Obama, argued that the whole story is just an attempt to distract from the ongoing furore over his administration's failure to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein.
On Tuesday's instalment of MSNBC's Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough presented a 14-point 'laundry list' of subjects raised in the last two weeks to distract from the Epstein case, with the Obama conspiracy appearing alongside such issues as expat comedian Rosie O'Donnell's citizenship status and the potential renaming of the Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians.
Connecticut Democratic Rep. Jim Himes told the same network yesterday: 'When people like Tulsi Gabbard and Donald Trump accuse an ex-president of a capital crime that is punishable by death, who is going to die? Who is going to die because they've decided that they need a distraction away from the Epstein calamity.'
'Gabbard nonsense' was cooked up 'purely as a distraction from Epstein,' an opinion shared by ex-Republican congressman Denver Riggleman.
Democratic National Committee delegate Kaivan Shroff went further, lashing out at the intelligence chief on Newsmax by saying that Gabbard 'has built her career as a stooge for dictators and that is why Donald Trump picked her… [The president] is embroiled in so many scandals dividing his base that he wants to distract with this.'
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Scottish Sun
a minute ago
- Scottish Sun
Whether you like it or not, Donald Trump has his moments – you can't help admire how gallus he is
A FEW days of Donald Trump all up in your grill and it becomes easier to see why so many Americans have bought into him. The guy was on transmit from the moment he touched down here to visit his two Scottish golf courses until the moment he left. 3 If you tune in long enough, Trump will eventually say something you agree with. Credit: AFP 3 You can't help but admire how gallus he is, writes Bill Leckie Credit: Getty And the fact is that if you tune in long enough, he'll eventually say something you agree with. Sure, you'll have to wade through a morass of childish nonsense to get there. And, yes, chances are it'll be something that bears no relation to the actual subject he's meant to be talking about. But just as a 36-handicap golfer might one day get a hole in one, so Trump has his moments that you find yourself agreeing with, whether you want to or not. Try walking the walk, Nic WEE Nicola says women politicians need to support each other more to combat the levels of abuse highlighted in a new report on gender inequality in politics. You know, the way she reacted to former Prime Minister Theresa May's coughing fit at a Tory conference by turning up on an SNP platform laughing and waving a packet of Strepsils. So, when your electorate has the attention span of an elderly goldfish, and when he repeats so much of what he says in social media snippets . . . well, no wonder he's become a master of the kind of soundbite that sways polls. It's not a healthy way for politics to go. It's the death of reasoned debate at the knifepoint of arrogant bluster. He remains the embodiment of the belief that the longer and louder you keep telling a lie, the quicker it becomes accepted as the truth. It's easy from a pond's width to wonder how someone this transparent has managed to con the world's biggest democracy not once, but twice. Then you see him in action on your own doorstep. And for all that it doesn't make him any less dislike- able, you can't help but admire how gallus he is. Donald Trump hits first ever shot at opening of new Trump North Sea links golf course Busybodies don't give us weather warnings… they give us stupidity warnings AS I write this, it's blowing a gale, but the rain's just stopped and the sun's come out. No, scrub that – it WAS sunny until halfway through that sentence, then it went back to being battleship grey overhead. And now, 40-odd words in, it's hosing down again. In other words, just another Scottish day of four seasons in the blink of an eye. The kind of day when we all used to live by the words of Billy Connolly that there's no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes. The kind of day, sadly, that no longer exists now we've been brainwashed into believing the world's about to end just because it's a little big windier or wetter or hotter than it's meant to be. Welcome to the era of the Weather Event, when anything above a little bit blowy needs to be called a storm and when storms need to be given names. Which is when the problems REALLY start. 3 Welcome to the era of the Weather Event, when anything above a little bit blowy needs to be called a storm Credit: Reuters See, the human brain is brilliant at dealing with everyday stuff that it keeps in its filing cabinets, stuff so normal that it becomes second nature — and in this dreich-ish little country where we live, nothing becomes more second nature-ish than dealing with the climate. Example? You look outside, it's bright and sunny. You go outside and it's deceptively Baltic. You go back in and get a jumper. It's simple as that, Or, at least, it used to be. But now? Suddenly we're losing our minds about something this basic; or, maybe more accurately, the forecasters and the government and all sorts of other busybodies are hell-bent on trying to MAKE us lose our minds. For instance, first thing yesterday there was a statement issued by a guy called Jim Dale from an organisation called British Weather Services which read: 'Remember, this is summertime — and a Bank Holiday in Scotland — so some 'summer articles' in gardens and on beaches are going to be there; slides, picnic tables, swings, all ready to by thrown around by the wind. 'That's the danger we've got at the moment. These warnings are put out for very good reason. 'If you're venturing out, keep away from the forest and keep away from the coastal plain where the sea will be coming in.' Next thing, ScotRail was putting out an appeal for us to 'secure garden furniture, trampolines and tents' so they don't 'blow onto the tracks'. I'm sorry, but these aren't weather warnings. They're STUPIDITY warnings. The perfect example of organisations nannying the life out of us, making out that we're incapable of calculating the simplest decisions that dictate our own comfort and safety. And you know what? Anyone who really is stupid enough to NEED advice like this probably deserves to become a victim of natural selection anyway. If that sounds harsh, good. Because I'm sick of this concept that we need our hand held over so many things as our brain — the most phenomenally-complex and brilliant computer that will ever exist — is somehow considered incapable of understanding what's good and bad for our health. We see it in dumb-as-a-stone food packaging, like the packet of couscous I bought the other day with a picture on the front of a bowl of couscous and the words 'serving suggestion'. We see it in trigger warnings at the start of TV shows made in the Seventies and Eighties which apparently may contain content that doesn't align with how we see things in 2025. We hear it in the pointless apologies from telly and radio sports commentators when an effects microphone picks up some 'bad' language. That one really gets me. I mean, is it really anything we don't hear every day? Can we not make our own minds up about whether we approve or disapprove, about whether or not we want to tut and switch off? Plus, where's the sense in apologising for something that the commentator isn't responsible for? It's all part of this idiotic, scared-of-their-own-shadows attitude that's sweeping through society and which looms over us darker than ever whenever one of these 'weather events' comes around. This isn't to say that Storm Whatever-They-Called-It didn't cause a lot of people some inconvenience, that it didn't disrupt travel or force events to be cancelled or leave damage in its wake. All I'm saying is that this is what the weather's always done, right back to the dawn of time. And that not only have we always survived, but we've learned from it and developed new and better ways of coping. You just wouldn't think so from the way we're mollycoddled through this sort of — and I'm a little sick in my mouth even writing the word — crisis. We're resilient, us humans. Most of us want to get to work no matter what, to push ahead with our leisure plans, to keep the world turning. And 99.999 per cent of us tend not to play frisbee with trampolines near railway lines. But whereas throughout history it's been down to the other 0.001 per cent of the population to either learn NOT to do stupid things or suffer the consequences, today we're all judged by their lack of basic common sense. Anyway, I'm away for the messages now. In shorts, a parka, flip-flops and a balaclava. Because it's great being Scottish. And a little bit mental.


Reuters
2 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump says banks discriminate against his supporters while White House prepares order
WASHINGTON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he believes that banks discriminate against him and his supporters, adding that Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase had previously refused to accept his deposits. "They totally discriminate against, I think, me maybe even more, but they discriminate against many conservatives," he told CNBC in an interview. "I think the word might be Trump supporters more than conservatives." Trump made the comments when asked about a report by the Wall Street Journal that said he planned to punish banks that discriminated against conservatives, but did not address the order specifically. The order instructs regulators to review banks for "politicized or unlawful debanking" practices, according to a draft reviewed by Reuters. "Well, they did discriminate," Trump said of actions taken by JPMorgan Chase after his first term in office. "I had hundreds of millions, I had many, many accounts loaded up with cash ... and they told me, 'I'm sorry sir, we can't have you. You have 20 days to get out.'" Trump said, without providing evidence, that he believed that the banks' refusal to take his deposits indicated that the administration of former President Joe Biden had encouraged banking regulators to "destroy Trump." Trump said he subsequently tried to deposit funds with Bank of America and was also refused, and eventually split the cash among a number of smaller banks. "The banks discriminated against me very badly," he said. In a statement, JPMorgan did not address the president's specific claim that it had discriminated against him. 'We don't close accounts for political reasons, and we agree with President Trump that regulatory change is desperately needed," JPMorgan said. "We commend the White House for addressing this issue and look forward to working with them to get this right.' Bank of America declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal reported late Monday that the expected executive order would instruct regulators to investigate whether any financial institutions breach the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, antitrust laws or consumer financial protection laws by dropping customers for political reasons. It said the order could be signed as early as this week, authorizing monetary penalties, consent decrees or other disciplinary measures against violators. The White House had no immediate comment on the reported order. Trump in January said the CEOs of JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America denied services to conservatives. At the time, the two banks denied making banking decisions based on politics. "This seems to be rhetoric that will likely be forgotten by lunchtime," said David Wagner, head of equities at Aptus Capital Advisors. "I don't see any material impact on banks, as there are many other drivers that will ultimately presage performance for banks, such as deregulation." JPMorgan and Bank of America shares both fell about 1%, in line with a decline for the broader S&P Bank index. Banks have consistently argued that any complaints about "debanking" should be aimed at regulators, as they argue onerous rules and bank supervisors policing firms can discourage them from engaging in certain activities. "The heart of the problem is regulatory overreach and supervisory discretion," the Bank Policy Institute, an industry group, said in a statement. "The banking agencies have already taken steps to address issues like reputational risk, and we're hopeful that any forthcoming executive order will reinforce this progress by directing regulators to confront the flawed regulatory framework that gave rise to these concerns in the first place."


Telegraph
2 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Switzerland scrambles after Trump makes it Europe's biggest loser
For more than 200 years, Switzerland's approach to foreign policy has been to stay neutral. Yet when it comes to Donald Trump, a man who demands loyalty, neutrality doesn't get you much. The peace-loving Alpine nation has found itself at the forefront of Trump's erratic trade war, with exports such as Swiss chocolate and watches now subject to US tariffs of 39pc. 'Basically, we are all shocked,' says Jan Atteslander from Economiesuisse, a business lobby organisation representing 100,000 businesses in the country. 'We are one of the most open economic partners of the US. We have no tariff and non-tariff barriers for US goods or services. We are number six for foreign direct [investment] in the US. 'In this context, to find early on Friday, at 3am, that you are among the four countries that have – by way out now – the highest import tariffs in the US across the board, it's really a shock.' The outcome could hardly be worse: Only Syria, Laos and Myanmar face steeper rates than Switzerland of up to 41pc. Even Taliban-run Afghanistan was handed a more favourable deal of 15pc. To add insult to injury, the announcement came on Switzerland's National Day. 'There are two days in the year – one is Christmas, and the other one is Aug 1 – where normal people are on holiday,' shrugs Atteslander. The tariff shock has left Bern scrambling. Karin Keller-Sutter, the Swiss president, and Guy Parmelin, the economy minister, are flying to the US on Tuesday for crisis talks. It comes after a disastrous last-ditch call between the Swiss leader and Trump late on Thursday. The unexpected tariff blow has unleashed anger and soul-searching in Switzerland, with the tabloid Blick declaring it the country's greatest defeat since a battle against France in 1515, which ushered in its policy of international neutrality. 'We're joining the Canadians in protest against the US,' says Nikolay Markov, an economist at Pictet Asset Management in Geneva. He argues that the Swiss shouldn't have been caught flat-footed. 'It shouldn't be surprising because Switzerland has a significant trade surplus with the US. That's one of the reasons why Switzerland is on the monitoring watch list of the US treasury,' he says. Switzerland sold £28.8bn more goods to the US last year than it bought, with £47.6bn-worth of items heading to America. Exports range from luxury watches to precision instruments such as pneumatic screwdrivers and micrometres to medicines and Nespresso pods. Its trade surplus with the world's largest economy grew by 56.1pc from 2023. Trump initially subjected Switzerland to import duties of 31pc on 'liberation day' on April 2. Most goods exports, apart from pharmaceuticals and gold, will be subject to the new tariff from Thursday unless Keller-Sutter can strike a better deal. The US president has demanded that Swiss drugmakers lower their prices, an issue that may well come up in negotiations. Swiss business leaders and politicians are, for now trying to keep cool heads, hoping that this will be another example of the phenomenon that traders refer to as 'Taco': Trump always chickens out. While the president likes to announce large headline rates, he tends to use them as a bludgeon to negotiate better deals rather than following through. The stakes are high. Markov says he initially expected tariffs to shave 0.2pc of the Swiss economy's growth. 'Now it's 1.8pc, so it implies no growth for Switzerland in the coming year. It really changes the economic outlook – potentially materially,' he says. Such a knock to growth would plunge Switzerland into a technical recession and leave many workers unemployed. Chocolatiers are among those bracing for the impact. 'It's quite a shock because with tariffs at that level, it will be hard to serve the US market,' says Roger Wehrli. He is the Bern-based chief executive of Chocosuisse and Biscosuisse, trade bodies representing chocolatiers and confectionery makers. 'Combined with the exchange rate changes, this leads to an increase of costs in certain US markets by around 55pc compared to the beginning of the year,' he says. He warns that Switzerland being singled out leaves it particularly vulnerable. 'The UK has only a tariff of 10pc, the European Union 15pc. So our companies will have a comparative disadvantage. This leads to the conclusion that if this tariff remains, a lot of companies will pull out of the US market,' Wehrli says. The 39pc rate is beyond even the worst-case scenarios companies had planned for, Wehrli says. He also fears the wider damage to the Swiss economy. 'When we look at this economy in general, we export around 15pc to the United States. I'm very much concerned. It will pose severe challenges to the labour market.' Atteslander at trade body Economiesuisse says: 'There are thousands of jobs at risk, but I can't really tell if it is really going to happen or not.' For now, companies like Swatch are temporarily able to rely on all of the stock they rushed into the US in the first half of the year. The watchmaker has enough sitting in US warehouses to last it for at least three to six months, according to its chief executive. Knife maker Victorinox, another Swiss brand, meanwhile, said it was looking to make its operations more efficient through automation and 'collaborative solutions with our distribution partners'. 'This is not the first big challenge these export companies have faced over the last 15 to 20 years,' says Atteslander. If 39pc tariffs do remain in place, companies could explore workarounds. One unlikely benefactor of Trump's trade offensive could be Slovenia, according to Markov, the economist in Geneva. 'Slovenia is a major trading partner and is part of the European Union and the eurozone, so they're subject to 15pc tariffs. Switzerland could, to some extent, bypass the 39pc tariffs by exporting to Slovenia for re-exports to the US.' Swiss pharmaceuticals have already invested billions into production facilities in the small central European nation. Other industries could follow. Ultimately, though, Swiss leaders will be hoping to avoid all that. The federal council – the country's governing cabinet – on Monday said Switzerland was prepared to make a 'more attractive offer' to Trump in an effort to negotiate lower tariffs.