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In a rare public statement on Tuesday evening, former President Barack Obama dismissed President Donald Trump’s “bizarre allegations” that he was the mastermind behind the Russiagate controversy.
Trump had earlier claimed that Obama was the “ringleader” of Russiagate and called for a criminal investigation into him, citing new claims that his administration members allegedly “fabricated” intelligence that fueled the Trump-Russia collusion narrative.
“Out of respect for the presidency, our office typically does not engage with the constant misinformation coming from the White House,” said Obama’s spokesman Patrick Rodenbush. “But these claims are so outrageous that they require a response.”
“These outlandish allegations are absurd and a feeble attempt at diversion,” continued Obama’s spokesman. “The recent document does not refute the widely accepted conclusion that Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.”
He went on to say, “These conclusions were corroborated in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.”
Rodenbush’s statement on behalf of Obama followed the declassification of documents by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, which revealed “overwhelming evidence” suggesting that Obama and his national security team allegedly initiated the years-long Trump-Russia collusion investigation after Trump’s 2016 election victory.
These documents named Obama, key officials in his National Security Council, James Clapper, John Brennan, Susan Rice, John Kerry, Loretta Lynch, and Andrew McCabe, among others.
Gabbard sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department based on these findings, but details of the referral recipients were not disclosed by DOJ officials.
During a meeting with the President of the Philippines in the Oval Office, Trump mentioned that his administration possesses extensive documents, with more to come, indicating that Obama was behind the inception of the Trump-Russia collusion narrative.
He added, “Obama’s concept originated from crooked Hillary Clinton, who paid Christopher Steele $12 million to produce a completely fake dossier.”
The discredited dossier, funded by the Clinton campaign and DNC, served as the basis for FISA warrants against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page.
Although the intelligence community initially viewed the dossier as mere “internet rumor,” top officials like Comey, McCabe, and Brennan advocated for its inclusion in the 2017 Intelligence Community Assessment.
Trump also mentioned that his administration has evidence pointing to Clinton and Obama’s involvement in these actions.
On July 28, 2016, Brennan briefed Obama on a plan from one of Clinton’s advisors to tarnish Trump’s image by alleging Russian interference. The CIA then forwarded this information to Comey and Strzok under the subject “Crossfire Hurricane.”
Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who took over the FBI’s original “Crossfire Hurricane” probe, concluded his investigation in March 2019 without finding evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
John Durham was subsequently appointed as special counsel to investigate the origins of the probe. Durham found that the FBI neglected to act on warnings about a Clinton-led effort to manipulate the law enforcement process for political gain.
Comey and Brennan are currently under criminal investigation by FBI Director Kash Patel.
This report includes contributions from Fox News’ Mike Emanuel.
