then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Former President Barack Obama has responded to Donald Trump’s “outrageous” claims that he committed treason and “manufactured” intelligence.
Last week, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents relating to the 2016 probe into Russian interference in the presidential election.
She claimed that those documents proved Obama and his national security cabinet members “manufactured and politicized intelligence.”
- Barack Obama called Donald Trump's treason allegations 'bizarre' and 'outrageous,' dismissing them as a distraction.
- Tulsi Gabbard declassified 2016 intelligence documents claiming Obama 'manufactured' Russia interference intel to undermine Trump.
- Trump shared a fake AI video showing Obama arrested, amplifying claims of treason linked to election interference allegations.
- Obama’s office reaffirmed Russia did interfere in 2016 but did not alter votes, citing a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report.
- Gabbard accused the Obama administration of using discredited sources like the Steele Dossier to subvert Trump’s presidency.
Barack Obama has responded to bombshell accusations of treason
Image credits: Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
President Trump amplified the claims on social media, even sharing a fake AI video of Obama being arrested by the FBI and sitting in a prison cell.
At a White House meeting with the Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos on Tuesday, Trump accused Obama of treason and said his actions were criminal.
“It’s there, he’s guilty. This was treason,” Trump said, Reuters reported.
“They tried to steal the election, they tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody’s ever imagined, even in other countries.”
Image credits: White House
Obama’s office has now hit back at the claims, saying they are an attempt at distraction as Trump continues to grapple with the MAGA fallout over the non-existent Epstein files.
“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’s office said in a statement.
“These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.”
In 2020, the Senate Intelligence Committee, composed of members from both parties, released a report affirming the U.S. Intelligence Community’s conclusion that Russia had intervened in the 2016 election to aid Donald Trump’s campaign.
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The report also determined that the Obama administration’s evaluation of the interference was conducted objectively, without political influence.
Rubio now serves as Trump’s Secretary of State.
Gabbard had claimed that intelligence community findings from 2016, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, concluded there was no attempt at Russian interference.
The documents she released pointed to a talking point prepared for then-DNI James Clapper, which stated: “Foreign adversaries did not use cyberattacks on election infrastructure to alter the U.S. Presidential election outcome.”
She said that a further report in 2017, affirming there was Russian interference, was an attempted coup and was used to undermine Trump’s victory.
Tulsi Gabbard has now referred the Obama administration to the Department of Justice
Image credits: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The subsequent Senate report in 2020 found that the 2017 findings were accurate and had responded to evolving information.
“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,” Obama’s office added.
“But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”
In response to Obama’s statement, Gabbard went on Fox News and described his statement as “the art of deflection.”
She said that Obama’s statement and support from Democrats in Congress did not address the issues she had raised.
Those issues were a “180 degree shift from the intelligence communities” after Trump won the election, “that completely contradicted those assessments made previously.”
Gabbard specifically referred to statements made by Clapper, former CIA director John Brennan, and former FBI director James Comey, affirming their confidence in the 2017 document.
“They used already discredited information like the Steele Dossier, they knew it was discredited at that time, yet they used it as a source for this document that they claim to have high confidence in,” she said.
Their goal was to usurp President Trump and subvert the will of the American people.
No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The integrity of our democratic republic depends on it.
We… pic.twitter.com/KJ7qrmMv0k
— DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) July 18, 2025
“They used intelligence that some of these intelligence community professionals rejected previously because of the lack of credibility and the lack of the ability to vet with any kind of confidence whether or not that information or intelligence was accurate and could be used for an assessment,” Gabbard added.
Gabbard has referred Obama administration officials to the Department of Justice and said additional documents will be released this week.
15
0