Trump revives old grievances in Oval Office rant, accusing Obama of treason

CBC

4 days ago

U.S. President Donald Trump rehashed long-standing grievances Tuesday over the Russia investigation that shadowed much of his first term, criticizing former president Barack Obama and others following a new report from his intelligence director aimed at casting doubt on long-established findings about Moscow's interference in the 2016 election.
"It's time to go after people," Trump said from the Oval Office, as he repeated a baseless claim that Obama and other officials had engaged in treason.
Trump accused the former president, without evidence, of being the "ringleader" of a conspiracy to get him. "The leader of the gang was President Obama," he said. "He's guilty.... This was treason."
The former president's office issued a rare response to the allegations, saying "these bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.
"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," said Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush. "But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one."
Rodenbush emphasized that multiple investigations, including a bipartisan examination by the Senate intelligence committee, found that Russia had meddled in the 2016 election.
Obama has never been accused of any wrongdoing as part of the Russia investigation. As well, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court opinion from last year shields former presidents from prosecution for official acts conducted in office.
Deflecting questions about Epstein case
Trump launched his rant after being asked about the U.S. Justice Department's effort to speak with Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein who was convicted of helping the financier sexually abuse underage girls.
"I don't really follow that too much," he said. "It's sort of a witch hunt, a continuation of the witch hunt."
Trump is under pressure from conspiracy-minded segments of his political MAGA base to release more about the Epstein case. He's tried to move on, which Democrats say is because of his association with Epstein. Trump has denied knowledge or involvement of Epstein's crimes and said he ended their friendship years ago.
Adding to that pressure is a recent Wall Street Journal story of a crude letter that Trump purportedly wrote to Epstein in 2003, alluding to secrets they shared. Trump has denied writing the letter and is now suing the paper and its owners.
As the scrutiny has grown in recent weeks, Trump administration officials have escalated their focus on other matters like the Russia investigation.
House shut down to avoid Epstein vote
Meantime, House Speaker Mike Johnson rebuffed pressure to act on the investigation into Epstein, moving instead to send members home early for a month-long break from Washington after the week's legislative agenda was upended by Republican members clamouring for a vote.
Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said Tuesday morning that he wants to give the White House "space" to release the Epstein information on its own, despite the bipartisan push for legislation that aims to force the release of more documents.
"There's no purpose for the Congress to push an administration to do something they're already doing," Johnson said at his weekly press conference, his last before lawmakers depart Washington on Wednesday for their traditional August recess.
Under pressure from right-wing online influencers, as well as voters back home, rank-and-file Republicans are demanding that the House intervene in the matter.
"The public's not going to let this die, and rightfully so," said Rep. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican.
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Political wedge
Even with the month-long break, the pressure on Johnson is unlikely to end.
Frustration in the House has been running high since last week, when Republican leaders signalled possible support for a vote on a bipartisan resolution to require the Justice Department and FBI to release all government documents on Epstein as they raced to pass a $9-billion US package of spending cuts.
Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican whose contrarian stances are often a thorn in the side of leadership, is gathering support for a legislative manoeuvre to force the bipartisan bill to a House vote, even without leadership's consent.
"Now, there are a lot of people here in the swamp who think that, 'Oh, well, if we spend five weeks on vacation, the pressure for this will dissipate.' I don't think it's going to dissipate," Massie told reporters Monday evening.
Democrats have repeatedly tried to force votes on the matter.
"It's about transparency in government. It's about whose side are you on? Are you on the side of the rich and powerful, protecting men? Or are you on the side of young girls and America's children?" said Rep. Ro Khanna, the California Democrat who put forward the legislation alongside Massie.
Epstein sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14, authorities say. He couldn't have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion, prosecutors contend.
Massie said the case is palpable enough to carry significant political consequences.
"This will be an issue that does follow Republicans through the midterms, and it will follow each individual Republican through the midterms," he told reporters. "It will follow people into their primaries. Did you support transparency and justice, or did you come up here, get elected and fall into the swamp?"