Washington [US], July 23 (ANI): Former U.S. President Barack Obama has strongly denied recent allegations by the Trump administration that he manipulated intelligence related to Russian interference in the 2016 election. A spokesperson dismissed the claims as “bizarre” and “a weak attempt at distraction,” according to a report by The Hill.
“These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction,” said Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesperson for Obama, in a statement shared with NewsNation, a sister company of The Hill. “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. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio,” he added.
The controversy stems from a report released last Friday by Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, which alleged election fraud and accused officials of being involved in a “treasonous conspiracy.” Gabbard stated that her office was turning over evidence to the Justice Department for potential criminal referrals, with the support of former President Donald Trump.
“He’s guilty, it’s not a question,” Trump said, referring to Obama. “This was treason—this was every word you can think of,” he told reporters, as quoted by The Hill.
Trump further suggested that several former top officials could also face criminal charges, including then-Vice President Joe Biden, former FBI Director James Comey, former DNI Director James Clapper, and former CIA Director John Brennan.
The allegations relate to a memo issued by Trump in March, directing the declassification of all files connected to “Crossfire Hurricane,” the FBI’s codename for its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump has consistently denied that Russia had any influence on his victory over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Clinton campaign were fined by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for failing to properly disclose expenditures related to the investigation into Trump’s alleged ties to Russia. The DNC was fined $105,000, and the Clinton campaign $8,000, according to an FEC letter.
The investigation had been conducted by law firm Perkins Coie, which utilized research from Fusion GPS. Fusion GPS later hired retired British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to further probe foreign involvement in the 2016 election, The Hill reported.
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