The allegation came during a Tuesday Oval Office rant in which Trump, without offering evidence, declared, “Obama’s been caught directly. He’s guilty. This was treason.”
Trump's rant also followed unsubstantiated claims by his Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, who alleged -- without proof -- that Obama orchestrated a “coup” in 2016 to keep Trump out of office, Reuters news agency reported.
Gabbard’s so-called “evidence” consisted of selectively framed documents that, according to her, showed the Obama administration “manufactured and politicized intelligence” to launch the FBI probe into alleged Russian election interference.
Trump eagerly seized on the narrative, repeating his long-debunked claim that the Russia investigation was part of a deep-state conspiracy to undermine him.
“They tried to steal the election,” he said, doubling down on his refrain.
Observers say Trump’s invocation of “treason” is more than rhetorical, and marks a dangerous escalation in his years-long effort to weaponize the federal government against his political rivals, the report added.
MA/PR
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