President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for the Department of Justice to investigate former President Barack Obama following the release of a report by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. The report alleges the Obama administration manipulated intelligence related to the 2016 “Russia collusion hoax.”
Gabbard has already submitted criminal referrals to the DOJ based on the report’s findings, accusing Obama and several top officials of orchestrating a “treasonous conspiracy” against Trump after his 2016 victory.
When asked during an Oval Office meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who should face DOJ scrutiny, Trump didn’t hesitate to name Obama. “Based on what I read, and I read pretty much what you read, it would be President Obama. He started it,” Trump told the assembled media (see video below).
“And [then-vice president Joe] Biden was there with him and [former FBI director James] Comey was there and [former DNI director James] Clapper, the whole group was there. [Former CIA director John] Brennan. They were all there in a room, right here, this was the room,” he continued.
He then said, “If you look at those papers, they have him stone-cold and it was President Obama. It wasn’t lots of people all over the place, it was them, too. But the leader of the gang was President Obama, Barack Hussein Obama, have you heard of him?” He added: “He’s guilty, it’s not a question. This was treason, this was every word you can think of.”
Trump said Tuesday that Gabbard told him the revelations so far are “just the tip of the iceberg,” with thousands more documents set to be released. He went on to call former President Obama the “ringleader” of the operation against him. The memo released Friday also named former intelligence officials Clapper, Brennan, and Comey. The developments appear to bolster Trump’s long-standing claim that the 2016 Russia collusion investigation was a politically motivated hoax.
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