Obama slams Trump with rare public rebuke of ‘outrageous’ theory
Former President Barack Obama issued a rare public rebuke of President Donald Trump on Tuesday, slamming his successor for spreading an "outrageous" theory that Obama administration officials had taken part in a conspiracy to undermine Trump after his 2016 victory.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents earlier this week that she said showed the Obama administration had "manufactured" evidence to push an investigation into whether Russia attempted to boost Trump in the 2016 election.
Gabbard said Obama officials undermined "the legitimacy of President Trump, essentially enacting a years-long coup against him."
Trump went further Tuesday, saying without evidence, "This was treason."
"They tried to steal the election, they tried to obfuscate the election," he said in the Oval Office, according to Reuters.
Patrick Rodenbush, an Obama spokesperson, said in a statement that "out of respect for the office of the presidency," the former president "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," Rodenbush said. "These bizarre allegations are 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," he continued. "These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio."
Obama has often avoided direct criticism of Trump.
On Monday, an Obama spokesperson declined to comment when asked by the Washington Post about a video shared by Trump on Truth Social, the social media website he owns. The video, evidently created by artificial intelligence, depicted Obama being arrested in the Oval Office while Trump looked on and grinned.
It went on to show Obama behind bars in a prison cell, with the caption "no one is above the law."
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