Former US president Barack Obama has spoken out against Donald Trump’s calls for him to be prosecuted, vehemently rejecting the accusations as “bizarre” and “ridiculous”.
Trump accused Obama of “treason” for allegedly “manufacturing” Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and alleged that the former US president attempted to engineer a “coup” following Trump’s election victory.
Obama’s office hit back at the claims in a strong rebuke and called Trump’s claims a “weak attempt at distraction” to divert attention from issues surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein case.
“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,” the statement said.
“But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” it added.
The statement by Obama’s spokesperson also denounced the claims made in a report released by Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, that alleged a “treasonous conspiracy” by Obama administration officials.
“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,” the statement said.
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“These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.”
Trump posts AI video of Obama’s ‘arrest’ by FBI
Obama’s remarks come after Trump posted an AI-generated video showing his predecessor’s arrest by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the Oval Office.
The clip starts with Obama saying, “No one, especially the President, is above the law”, followed by other Democrats, including Joe Biden, stating, “No one is above the law.”
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The video, without a disclaimer, demonstrates Obama being handcuffed by two FBI agents, while Trump sits nearby, smiling throughout the arrest. The latter part of the video shows Obama in a prison jumpsuit, sitting inside a jail cell.
Previously, Gabbar, in a series of posts on X, alleged that Obama’s senior national security team deliberately “manufactured” and politicised intelligence assessments regarding Russian interference in the 2016 race.
She contended that these efforts were part of a coordinated attempt to discredit Trump and “subvert the will of the American people.” Gabbard declared that her office has submitted relevant documents to the US Department of Justice, calling for a full criminal investigation.
(With inputs from Reuters)
