Former U.S. President Donald Trump has reignited controversy around the 2016 election, accusing former President Barack Obama of “treason” and demanding his prosecution over allegations that intelligence was manipulated to fabricate links between Trump’s campaign and Russian interference.
Trump made the explosive remarks on Tuesday during a media briefing at the White House alongside visiting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The comments follow the release of a controversial report by Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who claimed that senior Obama-era officials engineered a false narrative of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign in an effort to undermine the 2016 election results.
According to Gabbard, the declassified documents suggest that intelligence was distorted to trigger what she described as a “years-long coup” attempt against Trump’s presidency. Criminal referrals have reportedly been sent to the Department of Justice based on her findings.
“From what I’ve seen, it all started with Obama. He’s the one behind it,” Trump said, identifying the former president as the “leader of the gang.” He also pointed fingers at then-Vice President Joe Biden, ex-FBI Director James Comey, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former CIA Director John Brennan.
Trump’s remarks drew swift condemnation from critics, who accused him of trying to rewrite history and deflect from ongoing legal and political troubles. A spokesperson for Obama dismissed the allegations as “unfounded and politically motivated,” stressing that multiple independent investigations both congressional and judicial had validated concerns about Russia’s interference in 2016.
Among those investigations was a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report released in 2020, which confirmed that Russian military intelligence actively sought to influence the election in Trump’s favor by hacking and leaking Democratic documents. The report concluded that Trump campaign officials welcomed the assistance and “sought to maximize the impact” of the disclosures.
Despite this, Trump has long described the Russia investigations as a “witch hunt” and has continued to challenge the credibility of the probes. His latest remarks are seen by many observers as a direct challenge to established national security findings and a potential escalation of political tensions ahead of the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential race.
The Department of Justice has acknowledged receipt of Gabbard’s referrals but has yet to comment on whether any criminal investigations will be opened based on her claims.
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