Latest news with #electioninterference
Reuters
an hour ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Moldova's president warns of Russian interference threat ahead of parliament election
CHISINAU, July 30 (Reuters) - Moldovan President Maia Sandu said on Wednesday that electoral corruption and illegal external financing from Russia were the biggest threats to parliamentary elections due in September. "The Russian Federation wants to control the Republic of Moldova from autumn onwards and is preparing unprecedented interference in the September elections," she told a press briefing in Chisinau.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Graham, Cornyn call for special counsel in Obama case
A pair of top Senate Republicans called for a special counsel to be appointed Thursday to probe whether former President Obama aided an effort to undermine President Trump's 2016 White House bid. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) pressed for the appointment, saying they want answers about how Obama and his administration 'manipulated' matters in the hopes of a Hillary Clinton victory in 2016 'For the good of the country, Senator @JohnCornyn and I urge Attorney General Bondi to appoint a special counsel to investigate the extent to which former President Obama, his staff and administration officials manipulated the U.S. national security apparatus for a political outcome,' Graham posted on the social platform X. The call came a day after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a new document casting doubts on Russian President Vladimir Putin's desire to aid Trump in the contest, though it backed up the argument that Russia wanted to interfere in the election writ large. The document was part of a House Intelligence Committee report stemming from when Republicans controlled the chamber, and it was classified until Gabbard released it. Although it does not dispute that Moscow interfered in the election, it sheds light on the Obama administration's handling of Russia's activity at the time. It was the second recent disclosure by Gabbard seeking to discredit the Obama administration. Last week, she released a report alleging Obama officials manipulated intelligence related to Russian interference in the 2016 election and accused former officials of engaging in a 'treasonous conspiracy.' A number of intelligence reviews determined the Russians sought to influence the 2016 contest and that Putin wanted Trump to emerge victorious. 'As we have supported in the past, appointing an independent special counsel would do the country a tremendous service in this case,' Cornyn said in a statement. 'With every piece of information that gets released, it becomes more evident that the entire Russia collusion hoax was created by the Obama Administration to subvert the will of the American people.' 'Democrats and the liberal media have been out to get President Trump since 2016,' he continued. 'There must be an immediate investigation of what we believe to be an unprecedented and clear abuse of power by a U.S. presidential administration.' An Obama spokesperson issued a rare rebuke of Trump's claim that the ex-president committed 'treason,' noting the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2020 backed that the Russians attempted to sway votes but were not successful. The committee at the time also backed up the work of the intelligence community during that stretch. That panel was chaired by then-Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who now leads the State Department. '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,' said Patrick Rodenbush, an Obama spokesperson. 'These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.' The Trump administration has released the documents as it tries to pivot away from the Jeffrey Epstein story, while lawmakers issue subpoenas in search of answers on the case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
CIA director suggests Hillary Clinton could face criminal prosecution as part of Obama ‘Russiagate' investigation
CIA Director John Ratcliffe has continued to elevate conspiracies about former Obama-era officials using Russia to target Donald Trump, and suggested that some, including the president's 2016 White House rival Hillary Clinton, could face indictments or prosecutions. Speaking with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News, Ratcliffe expanded on the Trump administration's allegations that former president Barack Obama and some of his officials made up 'Russiagate' to undermine Trump in 2016. Clinton also served as Obama's secretary of state during his first term. 'This was a Hillary Clinton campaign scheme,' Ratcliffe said, alleging that Clinton conspired to 'falsely accuse' Trump of colluding with Russia in what would become known as the 'Steele Dossier'. Ratcliffe then claimed that Clinton, as well as former FBI director James Comey and Obama's former CIA director John Brennan, lied under oath about their apparent involvement in Russian election interference. 'So, what I think I hear you saying is, there is still an opportunity for indictments, potential prosecutions, accountability from those people who may have lied under oath like John Brennan, James Comey, and perhaps Hillary Clinton,' Bartiromo said to Ratcliffe. The CIA Director responded: 'Well, that's why I've made the referrals that I have.' Ratcliffe continued: '[Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard] has made referrals. And why we're going to continue to share the intelligence that would support the ability of our Department of Justice to make fair and just, bring fair and just claims, against those who have perpetrated this hoax against the American people and this stain on this country.' Clinton has not publicly commented on Ratcliffe's allegations. The Independent has asked a representative for Clinton for comment. Over the past few weeks, the Trump administration has embarked on a campaign against Obama and other officials, accusing them of unfairly targeting Trump in 2016 with 'Russiagate.' For years, Trump has railed against official findings that Russia interfered in the 2016 election by waging an online disinformation war to boost his campaign. He's blamed Democrats for fabricating the allegations and conclusion. Last week, Gabbard took the blame game to a new level and pointed to Obama as the figurehead behind 'Russiagate', accusing him of 'treasonous conspiracy'. Gabbard has made a criminal referral to the Justice Department regarding Obama. Last week, a spokesperson for Obama denied the 'bizarre allegations,' saying they were a 'ridiculous and weak attempt at distraction.' The return of 'Russiagate' and the fresh accusations appear to be a diversion tactic amid public uproar over the Trump administration's handling of the so-called 'Epstein Files'. On July 6, the Justice Department issued a memo saying that no further investigation was warranted into Jeffrey Epstein, a sex offender and wealthy financier accused of running a decades-long sex trafficking scheme involving girls and women. FBI and DOJ leadership had hinted for months that more information would be unearthed on Epstein. But the July 6 memo stated there was no 'client list' of high-profile individuals associated with Epstein, and confirmed that he died by suicide in federal prison in 2019. Trump's supporters, many of whom had long peddled Epstein conspiracy theories, have been in uproar since, amid claims of a coverup by the administration. The president has encouraged his supporters, and reporters, to move on. 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy's been talked about for years,' Trump said during a cabinet meeting in early July. 'Are people still talking about this guy? This creep? That is unbelievable.' In the weeks following the July 6 memo, the public spotlight has remained on Trump's former relationship with Epstein. The president previously said the two were friends for many years before having a falling out. The president has denied any involvement in Epstein's crimes. He has not been accused of any formal wrongdoing or charged with a crime. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that Trump had sent a birthday sketch to Epstein in the early 2000s, referencing 'secrets' and with the outline of a naked woman. Trump has denied sending the card and filed a $20bn defamation lawsuit against the Journal and its publisher. Last week, the Journal reported that former president Bill Clinton had also written Epstein a birthday card, which was contained in the same album. A spokesperson for Bill Clinton declined to comment on card but said the former president cut ties with Epstein years before he was arrested, and was aware of his crimes. In an apparent attempt to shift focus from the Epstein outrage, the Trump administration has launched its attack on senior Democrats. 'There is no doubt in my mind that the people we just talked about conspired,' Ratcliffe told Bartiromo Sunday, when asked about treason allegations related to Clinton. 'They conspired against President Trump, they conspired against the American people. So I'll leave it to Pam Bondi and our Department of Justice, Kash Patel and our FBI to investigate the conspiracy to do what and what charges they're capable of bringing,' Ratcliffe added.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Gowdy: We've known about this lie for eight years
Fox News host Trey Gowdy discusses the Justice Department's investigation into accusations that former President Barack Obama manufactured evidence in the 2016 Russian election interference hoax.
France 24
6 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
White House revives 'Obama coup' claim to deflect Epstein scandal
The White House pulled out all the stops Wednesday to promote claims that Barack Obama headed a "treasonous conspiracy" against Donald Trump, seeking to redirect public attention from uproar over its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein affair. Trump's intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard told a White House press briefing there had been a "years-long coup" by Obama. The extraordinary narrative essentially rehashed Trump's longstanding argument that investigations into Russia 's multi-layered attempts to disrupt the 2016 election, where he beat Hillary Clinton, were a "hoax" against him. Gabbard touted newly declassified intelligence that she said provided "irrefutable evidence" that Obama had ordered intelligence assessments to be manipulated to accuse Russia of election interference to help Trump. The Justice Department announced the formation of a "Strike Force" to examine the allegations with "utmost seriousness." But Gabbard's findings run up against four separate criminal, counterintelligence and watchdog probes between 2019 and 2023 – each of them concluding that Russia did interfere and did, in various ways, help Trump. As a way to distract from the intensifying speculation over Trump's handling of the case against the late sex offender and reputed pedophile pimp to the powerful Epstein, the Obama accusations had some effect. White House journalists at the briefing barely asked about Epstein, focusing instead on Gabbard's claims, and Fox News heavily promoted the Obama story to its right-wing audience. However, the Epstein scandal quickly roared back, showing just how hard it is for 79-year-old Trump to maintain his usual mastery of driving news agendas – even within his fervently loyal "MAGA" base. Trump's name in files Epstein was a financier and friend to numerous high-profile people – for years, including Trump – who was convicted of sex crimes and then imprisoned pending trial for allegedly trafficking underage girls. His 2019 prison cell death – ruled a suicide – supercharged a conspiracy theory long promoted by many of Trump's supporters that Epstein had run an international pedophile ring and that elites wanted to make sure he never revealed their secrets. After Trump came to power for a second term this January, his administration promised to release Epstein case files. But when US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on July 7 that she had nothing to release, Republicans were furious – and Trump has been attempting to control the scandal ever since. Things got even more complicated for him after The Wall Street Journal last week reported that Trump had written a lewd birthday letter to Epstein in 2003. Trump denies this and has sued the Journal. On Wednesday, the Journal dropped a new story, saying Bondi had informed Trump in May that his name appeared several times in the Epstein files, even if there was no indication of wrongdoing. Trump spokesman Steven Cheung called this "fake news" and said Trump had long ago broken with Epstein and "kicked him out of his club for being a creep." However, the drip-drip of reminders of Trump's close former relationship with Epstein is proving hard to stop. Several of Trump's most effective promoters over the years – including new FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino – made careers of fanning the rumors about Epstein. Democrats are piling on the pressure. Republican leaders in the House of Representatives sent lawmakers home early for a six-week summer break Wednesday to avoid being forced into holding politically awkward votes on the affair. But some lawmakers on the "MAGA" right have indicated they are in no mood to let Epstein drop, and several bids for transparency are in the works. Just before the declared recess, Democrats on a House subcommittee panel forced a vote on subpoenaing the Justice Department for documents regarding Epstein. The measure passed with bipartisan support. In another bid to satisfy his base, Trump had told Bondi to release "credible" Epstein information and to seek release of grand jury transcripts from the 2005 and 2007 investigations of Epstein. But on Wednesday a judge rejected this, citing legal secrecy protocols.
