Trump accuses Obama of ‘treason', calls for prosecution over Russia report
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department related to a report published Friday that asserted the Obama officials had been part of a 'treasonous conspiracy.'
Gabbard claimed Obama and his team had manufactured intelligence regarding Russian election interference to 'lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President Trump.'
Her accusations were widely criticized as they fly in the face of findings by four separate criminal، counterintelligence and watchdog probes between 2019 and 2023 — all of which concluded that Russia did intervene on Trump's behalf in the 2016 election.
The Republican leader was asked whom the department should target over Gabbard's report during an Oval Office press event with visiting Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos.
'Based on what I read—and I read pretty much what you read—it would be President Obama. He started it، ' said Trump، who was criticized on Monday for sharing an AI-generated video of Obama being arrested.
Trump also singled out Obama's then-vice president Joe Biden، former FBI director James Comey، former DNI director James Clapper and ex-CIA director John Brennan as being part of a conspiracy.
But he said the 'leader of the gang' was Obama، accusing him of being guilty of 'treason.' Trump has claimed since they were launched that the various probes into Russian interference in the 2016 election—and his own campaign's involvement—were a 'hoax.'
Trump's latest remarks were dismissed by his opponents as an attempt to shift focus away from the mushrooming crisis around the administration's failure to release files connected to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
They drew an angry rebuke from Obama's office، which said they were '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، ' Obama spokesman Patrick Rodenbush said.
A bipartisan report by the Senate Intelligence Committee—spearheaded by then acting chairman Marco Rubio، now Trump's secretary of state—found in 2020 that the Trump campaign sought to 'maximize the impact' of leaks of Democratic documents stolen by Russian military intelligence.
The aim of the hack، it said، was to help Trump and hurt Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.
'The Russian intelligence services' assault on the integrity of the 2016 US electoral process، and Trump and his associates' participation in and enabling of this Russian activity، represents one of the single most grave counterintelligence threats to American national security in the modern era,' the report said. — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
20 minutes ago
- The Star
Trump eyes 'world tariff' of 15-20% for most countries
A container is loaded onto a cargo ship while docked at a port under the Port Authority of Thailand, following the announcement that U.S. President Donald Trump would impose tariffs of 36% on goods from Thailand starting on August 1, in Bangkok, Thailand, July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo TURNBERRY, Scotland (Reuters) -President Donald Trump said on Monday most trading partners that do not negotiate separate trade deals would soon face tariffs of 15% to 20% on their exports to the United States, well above the broad 10% tariff he imposed in April. Trump told reporters his administration will notify some 200 countries soon of their new "world tariff" rate. "I would say it'll be somewhere in the 15 to 20% range," Trump told reporters, sitting alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his luxury golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland. "Probably one of those two numbers." Trump, who has vowed to end decades of U.S. trade deficits by imposing tariffs on nearly all trading partners, has already announced higher rates of up to 50% on some countries, including Brazil, starting on Friday. The announcements have spurred feverish negotiations by a host of countries seeking lower tariff rates, including India, Pakistan, Canada, and Thailand, among others. The U.S. president on Sunday clinched a huge trade deal with the European Union that includes a 15% tariff on most EU goods, $600 billion of investments in the U.S. by European firms, and $750 billion in energy purchases over the next three years. That followed a $550-billion deal with Japan last week and smaller agreements with Britain, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Other talks are ongoing, including with India, but prospects have dimmed for many more agreements before Friday, Trump's deadline for deals before higher rates take effect. Trump has repeatedly said he favors straightforward tariff rates over complex negotiations. "We're going to be setting a tariff for essentially, the rest of the world," he said again on Monday. "And that's what they're going to pay if they want to do business in the United States. Because you can't sit down and make 200 deals." Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday trade talks with the U.S. were at an intense phase, conceding that his country was still hoping to walk away with a tariff rate below the 35% announced by Trump on some Canadian imports. Carney conceded this month that Canada - which sends 75% of its exports to the United States - would likely have to accept some tariffs. (Additional reporting by Andrew MacAskill in Turnberry, Andrea Shalal in Edinburgh and William James in LondonEditing by Rod Nickel)
New Straits Times
2 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Trump to restart trade negotiations with Thailand, Cambodia
TORONTO: US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had instructed his trade team to resume negotiations on trade with Thailand and Cambodia after the two nations agreed to a ceasefire. "Just spoke to the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand and Prime Minister of Cambodia," Trump said in a Truth Social post. "I have instructed my trade team to restart negotiations on trade."
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
China hopes for 'reciprocity' at trade talks with US in Stockholm
STOCKHOLM (AFP): Chinese and US economic officials met for talks in Stockholm on Monday, with Beijing saying it wanted to see "reciprocity" in its trade with the United States. The Swedish prime minister's office confirmed the talks, which are expected to last two days, were under way. The talks came a day after US President Donald Trump reached a deal that will see imports from the European Union taxed at 15 percent and the clock ticking down for many countries to reach deals or face high US tariffs. Beijing said on Monday it hoped the two sides could hold talks in the spirit of "mutual respect and reciprocity". Foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing sought to "enhance consensus through dialogue and communication, reduce misunderstandings, strengthen cooperation and promote the stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US relations". For dozens of trading partners, failing to strike an agreement in the coming days means they could face significant tariff hikes on exports to the United States come Friday, August 1. The steeper rates, threatened against partners like Brazil and India, would raise the duties their products face from a "baseline" of 10 percent now to levels up to 50 percent. Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have already effectively raised duties on US imports to levels not seen since the 1930s, according to data from The Budget Lab research centre at Yale University. For now, all eyes are on discussions between Washington and Beijing as a delegation including US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent meets a Chinese team led by Vice Premier He Lifeng in Sweden. In Stockholm, Chinese and US flags were raised in front of Rosenbad, the seat of the Swedish government. While both countries in April imposed tariffs on each other's products that reached triple-digit levels, US duties this year have temporarily been lowered to 30 percent and China's countermeasures slashed to 10 percent. But the 90-day truce, instituted after talks in Geneva in May, is set to expire on August 12. Since the Geneva meeting, the two sides have convened in London to iron out disagreements. - China progress? - "There seems to have been a fairly significant shift in (US) administration thinking on China since particularly the London talks," said Emily Benson, head of strategy at Minerva Technology Futures. "The mood now is much more focused on what's possible to achieve, on warming relations where possible and restraining any factors that could increase tensions," she told AFP. Talks with China have not produced a deal but Benson said both countries have made progress, with certain rare earth and semiconductor flows restarting. "Secretary Bessent has also signalled that he thinks a concrete outcome will be to delay the 90-day tariff pause," she said. "That's also promising, because it indicates that something potentially more substantive is on the horizon." The South China Morning Post, citing sources on both sides, reported Sunday that Washington and Beijing are expected to extend their tariff pause by another 90 days. Trump has announced pacts so far with the European Union, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, although details have been sparse. An extension of the US-China deal to keep tariffs at reduced levels "would show that both sides see value in continuing talks", said Thibault Denamiel, a fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. US-China Business Council president Sean Stein said the market was not anticipating a detailed readout from Stockholm: "What's more important is the atmosphere coming out." "The business community is optimistic that the two presidents will meet later this year, hopefully in Beijing," he told AFP. "It's clear that on both sides, the final decision-maker is going to be the president." For others, the prospect of higher US tariffs and few details from fresh trade deals mark "a far cry from the ideal scenario", said Denamiel. But they show some progress, particularly with partners Washington has signalled are on its priority list like the EU, Japan, the Philippines and South Korea. The EU unveiled a pact with Washington on Sunday while Seoul is rushing to strike an agreement, after Japan and the Philippines already reached the outlines of deals. Breakthroughs have been patchy since Washington promised a flurry of agreements after unveiling, and then swiftly postponing, tariff hikes targeting dozens of economies in April. - AFP
