Obama ‘treason' claims video won't distract Americans from Epstein files
Information continues to be made public that verifies a friendship between Epstein and Mr Trump and has fuelled speculation that this refusal is based on an effort to suppress information.
Strongly buttressing those concerns, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department informed the President it discovered his name is mentioned throughout the Epstein files. Mr Trump sued the Journal and its owners including Rupert Murdoch for at least $10 billion on Friday. The paper is noted for meticulous reporting and successfully standing by its stories.
Apparently as a means of distraction, Mr Trump made an allegation on his bespoke Truth Social media platform. He posted an AI-generated video depicting former president Barack Obama being arrested and imprisoned by FBI agents. It contained no disclaimers that it was fictional or generated by AI.
The fictitious arrest video is prompted by new claims by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that, led by Mr Obama, the Democratic Party attempted to 'steal' the 2016 election that Mr Trump won. The DNI report is unconvincing, based on well-known information, tangential facts, random claims and unverified assertions.
But it seems to be the latest effort by the Trump inner circle to push back against the long-standing and well-verified fact that the Russian government intervened in the 2016 election, a finding that he was eventually forced, however briefly, to officially accept.
The extensive report compiled by special counsel Robert S Mueller III issued in April 2019 demonstrated conclusively that Russia had engaged in 'sweeping and systematic' intervention efforts to try to ensure the defeat of Hillary Clinton and the victory of Mr Trump.
Moreover, it found that one-time Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort constituted 'a grave counterintelligence threat' and had shared intelligence including private Trump campaign polling and other data with Russian intelligence agents. Mr Manafort was convicted of multiple crimes and sentenced to 73 months in prison, but was pardoned by Mr Trump in 2020.
Mr Mueller was unable to establish any definitive collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, and said that Justice Department rules prevented him from recommending any criminal charges against the President. The scandal has haunted Mr Trump ever since.
The attempt by Ms Gabbard to flip the script on Mr Obama and the Democrats through her new report and Mr Trump's effort to use this to try to change the subject from Epstein indicate desperation. So does the new initiative by Speaker Mike Johnson to suddenly adjourn the House of Representatives to avoid any vote – which would probably pass with a few Republicans joining Democrats in demanding release of the files – under current circumstances.
Among the most embarrassing new revelations was another report in the Wall Street Journal about a 50th birthday book of tributes to Epstein from his close friends that includes, allegedly, a risque drawing and intriguing note from Mr Trump. The two men were reportedly close until a 2004 real estate dispute.
But this apparent effort to shift the topic may fail, both because few believe that the FBI has arrested Mr Obama, and only the most gullible will prefer the new Gabbard report over the existing Mueller one. Moreover, by linking, once again, the Russia intervention scandal, which was all-too real, to speculation about the Epstein files, the administration may end up fuelling the idea that it has something to be concerned about.
The Justice Department says it is planning to meet Epstein's main accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a lengthy sentence for sex trafficking. There is a potential win-win scenario in the offing. If Mr Trump were to pardon Maxwell, and she were then to confirm that he had little or nothing to do with Epstein, problem – presumably – solved. It's far-fetched at this stage, but not much more than a President posting a video of his predecessor being thrown in a dungeon.
As for the idea of Mr Obama being arrested, it's admittedly a provocation. Until it isn't. There is no reason to think that the FBI is contemplating arresting the former president, and there are certainly no grounds to do that.
But there are also grounds to be alarmed that Mr Trump is trying to acculturate the American public to the idea that his political enemies might be rounded up and tossed in prison. There were many possible distractions available to the President. Depicting him organising the arrest and imprisonment of his rival and predecessor is a disturbing choice indeed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
11 minutes ago
- The National
Iran vows stronger response if attacked again by Israel or US
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that Tehran would respond to Israel or the US in a 'more decisive manner' if they attacked the country again. The remarks appear to be in response to US President Donald Trump who said on Monday that he would order fresh American attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities if Tehran tried to resume enriching uranium. 'If aggression is repeated, we will not hesitate to react in a more decisive manner and in a way that will be IMPOSSIBLE to cover up,' Mr Araghchi said in a post on X. 'If there are concerns about the possible diversion of our nuclear programme into non-peaceful purposes, the 'military option' proved incapable – but a negotiated solution may work,' he added. Iran has repeatedly denied it has been seeking nuclear weapons and has said its programme is for peaceful purposes only. Mr Trump issued the threat as he held talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf resort on the west coast of Scotland. He told reporters Iran has been sending out 'nasty signals' and any effort to restart its nuclear programme would be immediately stopped. 'We wiped out their nuclear possibilities. They can start again. If they do, we'll wipe it out faster than you can wave your finger at it,' Mr Trump said. Before the war broke out, the US and Iran were divided over uranium enrichment – with Tehran describing it as a 'non-negotiable' right and Washington calling it a 'red line'. Indirect nuclear negotiations between the two foes were derailed when Israel attacked Iran on June 13, starting a 12-day war. The US briefly joined the war, striking nuclear sites but it still remains unclear how devastating the damage was. Iran has acknowledged that its facilities sustained damage but the UN nuclear watchdog is particularly concerned about the whereabouts of Iran's stocks of some 400kg of highly enriched uranium. In an interview with Iran's state TV aired on Sunday, Mr Araghchi said the decision to engage diplomatically towards a ceasefire was 'what prevented the war from spiralling into a wider regional catastrophe'.
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Gunman kills 4, including police officer, in shooting at New York City office tower
A man carrying a rifle killed four people at a New York City office tower Monday, including an off-duty New York City police officer, and wounded a fifth before taking his own life, officials said. The officer who was killed was Didarul Islam, 36, an immigrant from Bangladesh who had served as a police officer in New York City for 3 1/2 years. 'He died as he lived. A hero,' police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference. He was married with two young boys, and his wife is pregnant with their third child, she said. Police identified the gunman as Shane Tamura, of Las Vegas, and said he killed himself. He had a 'documented mental health history,' but the motive is still unknown, Tisch said. 'We are working to understand why he targeted this particular location,' Tisch said. Another man was seriously injured and remains in critical condition, Mayor Eric Adams said. Adams said officials are still 'unraveling' what took place. 'Five innocent people were shot' along with the perpetrator, he said. Surveillance video showed a man exiting a double parked BMW and carrying an M4 rifle before he walks toward the building. He immediately opened fire on the NYPD officer as he entered the building and shot a woman who tried to take cover and then began 'spraying' the lobby with gunfire, Tisch said. The man then made his way to the elevator bank and shot a security guard who was taking cover behind a security desk and shot another man in the lobby, the commissioner said. The man took the elevator to the 33rd floor to a real estate management company and one person was shot and killed on the floor. The man then walks down a hallway and shot himself, the commissioner said. Officers found a rifle case, a revolver, magazines and ammunition in his car, Tisch said.
Zawya
2 hours ago
- Zawya
EU's $250bln-per-year spending on US energy is unrealistic
BRUSSELS/HOUSTON - The European Union's pledge to buy $250 billion of U.S. energy supplies per year is unrealistic because it would require the redirection of most U.S. energy exports towards Europe and the EU has little control over the energy its companies import. The U.S. and EU struck a framework trade deal on Sunday, which will impose 15% U.S. tariffs on most EU goods. The deal included a pledge for the EU to spend $250 billion annually on U.S. energy - imports of oil, liquefied natural gas and nuclear technology - for the next three years. Total U.S. energy exports to all buyers worldwide in 2024 amounted to $318 billion, U.S. Energy Information Administration data showed. Of that, the EU imported a combined $76 billion of U.S. petroleum, LNG and solid fuels such as coal in 2024, according to Reuters' calculations based on Eurostat data. More than tripling those imports was unrealistic, analysts said. Arturo Regalado, senior LNG analyst at Kpler, said the scope of the energy trade envisioned in the deal "exceeds market realities." "U.S. oil flows would need to fully redirect towards the EU to reach the target, or the value of LNG imports from the US would need to increase sixfold," Regalado said. There is strong competition for U.S. energy exports as other countries need the supplies - and have themselves pledged to buy more in trade deals. Japan agreed to a "major expansion of U.S. energy exports" in its U.S. trade deal last week, the White House said in a statement. South Korea has also indicated interest in investing and purchasing fuel from an Alaskan LNG project as it seeks a trade deal. Competition for U.S. energy could drive up benchmark U.S. oil and gas prices and encourage U.S. producers to favour exports over domestic supply. That could make fuel and power costs more expensive, which would be a political and economic headache for U.S. and EU leaders. Neither side has detailed what was included in the energy deal - or whether it covered items such as energy services or parts for power grids and plants. The EU estimates its member countries' plans to expand nuclear energy would require hundreds of billions of euros in investments by 2050. Its nuclear reactor-related imports, however, totalled just 53.3 billion euros in 2024, trade data shows. The energy pledge reflected the EU's analysis of how much U.S. energy supply it could accommodate, a senior EU official said, but that would depend on investments in U.S. oil and LNG infrastructure, European import infrastructure, and shipping capacity. "These figures, again, are not taken out of thin air. So yes, they require investments," said the senior official, who declined to be named. "Yes, it will vary according to the energy sources. But these are figures which are reachable." There was no public commitment to the delivery, the official added, because the EU would not buy the energy - its companies would. Private companies import most of Europe's oil, while a mix of private and state-run companies import gas. The European Commission can aggregate demand for LNG to negotiate better terms, but cannot force companies to buy fuel. That is a commercial decision. "It's just unrealistic," ICIS analysts Andreas Schröder and Ajay Parmar said in written comments to Reuters. "Either Europe pays a super high non-market reflective price for U.S. LNG or it takes way too much LNG volumes, more than it can cope with." U.S. PRODUCTION The United States is already the EU's top supplier of LNG and oil, shipping 44% of EU LNG needs and 15.4% of its oil in 2024, according to EU data. Raising imports to the target would require a U.S. LNG expansion way beyond what is planned through 2030, said Jacob Mandel, research lead at Aurora Energy Research. "You can add on capacity," Mandel said. "But if you're talking about the scale that would be necessary to meet these targets, the $250 billion, then it's not really feasible." Europe could buy $50 billion more of U.S. LNG annually as supply increases, he said. REPLACING RUSSIA The EU has said it could import more U.S. energy as its plan advances to end Russian oil and gas imports by 2028. The EU imported around 94 million barrels of Russian oil last year - 3% of the bloc's crude purchases - and 52 billion cubic metres (bcm) of Russian LNG and gas, according to EU data. For comparison, the EU imported 45 bcm of U.S. LNG last year. Higher EU fuel purchases would, however, run counter to forecasts for EU demand to decline as it shifts to clean energy, analysts said. "There is no major need for the EU to import more oil from the U.S., in fact, its oil demand peaked a number of years ago," Schröder and Parmar said. ($1 = 0.8571 euro) (Reporting by Kate Abnett in Brussels and Arathy Somasekhar in Houston; Additional reporting by Marwa Rashad and Robert Harvey in London, Julia Payne in Brussels, Curtis Williams in Houston and Timothy Gardner in Washington; Writing by Nina Chestney; Editing by Simon Webb and Matthew Lewis)
