Trump accuses Obama of treason. Obama calls it a 'weak attempt at distraction'
When asked about the Epstein case in the Oval Office on July 22, Trump pivoted quickly to an attack on Obama.
"The witch hunt that you should be talking about is they caught President Obama absolutely cold," Trump said, going on to accuse him of treason without providing evidence, Reuters reported. Trump also said in a July 21 Truth Social post that Obama manufactured the "Russia HOAX."
Obama has not been arrested or charged. Trump's comments follow Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's claim she has evidence of a "treasonous conspiracy" related to the intelligence about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The focus on Obama comes as the Trump administration continues to receive backlash from some Republicans over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's criminal files. Putting attention on the 2016 election and investigations into Russia's interference could be part of a broader effort to distract from the Epstein fallout, according to The Washington Post and Axios.
"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," Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesperson for Obama, said in an emailed statement. "But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction."
More: Jeffrey Epstein is sowing division among MAGA. What to know about the late sex offender
Trump posted fake AI video of Obama, but he wasn't actually arrested
Trump has long criticized Obama. Before becoming a presidential candidate, Trump repeatedly spread false rumors that Obama wasn't born in the U.S., and wasn't eligible to be the president. But since returning to office this year, Reuters reported Trump had not gone so far as to accuse Obama of a crime.
The accusations come after a deepfake video depicting Obama's arrest (which did not happen). The July 20 post on Truth Social was a TikTok video by an account named "neo8171," with a montage of Democratic elected officials saying "no one is above the law." While it is unclear where the clips were from, Democrats have used that phrase when talking about Trump's criminal cases, including an arrest in Georgia and a felony conviction in New York.
The video then shows Pepe the Frog, a popular internet meme that was added to a hate symbol database during the 2016 election.
As "YMCA" starts to play, the video shows Trump and Obama sitting in the Oval Office, and an artificially rendered scene shows FBI agents dragging Obama out of his chair and cuffing his hands behind his back. The fake video then shows Obama in an orange jumpsuit in jail.
A representative for Obama previously declined to comment on the fake AI video.
Gabbard, Trump revisit 2016 Russian interference amid Epstein backlash
On July 18, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a press release saying she had evidence that the Obama administration after the 2016 election produced "politicized intelligence that was used as the basis for countless smears seeking to delegitimize President Trump's victory."
In 2020, a Republican-led, bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee backed the conclusion of the intelligence agencies that found Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump. Trump had long said the investigation into his campaign was a hoax.
Ranking Member on the Intelligence Committee Rep. Jim Himes, D-Connecticut, said Gabbard's new claim is a "dangerous lie," while speaking on CBS News' "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," on July 20. He said Gabbard is using a "sleight of hand" by focusing on intelligence about Russia's failed voting infrastructure manipulation rather than Russia's meddling to discredit Trump's 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.
"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," Rodenbush said in the July 22 statement.
Appearing on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures," Gabbard said she intended to send her findings to the Department of Justice and the FBI for criminal referral.
'As is always the case, President Trump was right about the Obama-Biden administration's clear involvement in the greatest witch hunt in American history and the genesis of the decade-long hoax saga that tore our nation apart and undermined the will of the people," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said in an emailed statement previously shared with USA TODAY. "The President and his entire administration are committed to unearthing wrongdoing and holding any individual accountable for this gross abuse of power and blatant conspiracy against President Trump and his supporters.'
Contributing: Kevin Johnson, Kristine Phillips, USA TODAY; Reuters
Kinsey Crowley is the Trump Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at kcrowley@gannett.com. Follow her on X and TikTok @kinseycrowley or Bluesky at @kinseycrowley.bsky.social.
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