Former US President Barrack Obama slams Trump’s ‘treason’ claim over Russia probe as 'ridiculous'

A spokesperson for former President Barack Obama strongly rejected Donald Trump’s accusations of treason, calling them “bizarre,” “ridiculous,” and a “weak attempt at distraction.”

This response came after Trump claimed Obama and his national security team orchestrated a “treasonous conspiracy” by manipulating intelligence related to Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The confrontation stems from documents declassified by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, which Trump cited before announcing he would support a criminal referral to the Department of Justice.

Gabbard alleged that officials including James Clapper, John Brennan, and Susan Rice had produced false intelligence in December 2016 accusing Trump of colluding with Russia.

Obama’s spokesperson, Patrick Rodenbush, dismissed these claims as “constant nonsense and misinformation,” stating that the allegations were serious and warranted a response from the former president’s office.

Rodenbush emphasized that none of the recent documents undercut the widely accepted conclusion that Russia attempted to influence the 2016 election without successfully altering vote counts.

He cited a 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report, chaired by Marco Rubio, which affirmed the integrity of those findings.

Trump made the “treason” claim during a press event on July 22, saying “It’s there, he’s guilty. This was treason.” He accused Obama’s administration of trying to “steal the election,” but provided no concrete evidence.

Obama’s spokesperson reiterated that the allegations were outrageous and gave no indication of wrongdoing by Obama or his team.