US President’s claim follows a new Justice Department report on Russian election interference

AFP

22 Jul, 2025 07:06 PM2 mins to read

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United States President Donald Trump today accused his predecessor President Barack Obama of “treason” and called for his prosecution over a report alleging that officials in the Democrat’s Administration had manipulated information on Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has sent criminal
referrals to the Justice Department related to a report published last week that asserted the Obama officials had been part of a “treasonous conspiracy”.

Gabbard claimed Obama and his team had manufactured intelligence regarding Russian election interference to “lay the groundwork for what was essentially a years-long coup against President Trump”.

Her report flies in the face of evidence amassed in four separate criminal, counterintelligence and watchdog probes issued between 2019 and 2023 – all of which concluded that Russia did intervene on Trump’s behalf in the 2016 election.

The Republican leader was asked whom the department should target over the report during an Oval Office press event with visiting Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos.