Obama releases rare statement after Trump claimed former president was ‘guilty’ of ‘treason’

Former President Barack Obama has spoken out after Donald Trump accused him of committing treason. Trump, who is 79 years old, made the claim during a conversation with reporters in the Oval Office. He said Obama had tried to interfere in the 2016 election where Trump defeated Hillary Clinton and even suggested the actions were so serious they were “treason.”

Trump didn’t provide any evidence to support his accusations. Despite this, his words came just days after former Democratic Congresswoman and now Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, also accused Obama of being part of a “treasonous conspiracy” related to Russia’s alleged role in the 2016 election. Gabbard even threatened to send Obama’s former top aides to the Justice Department for prosecution. Russia, on its part, continues to deny having interfered.

For the most part, Obama, who is now 63, has stayed quiet about Trump’s many attacks over the years. But this time, his team felt it was important to respond. Obama’s spokesperson, Patrick Rodenbush, made a rare statement calling Trump’s claims “bizarre” and “ridiculous.”

Rodenbush said, “Normally, we don’t respond to the endless misinformation coming out of this White House because we respect the office of the presidency. But this time, the lies are so outrageous, we have to say something.”

He made it clear that the accusations are not only false but also a way to distract people from more important issues. He reminded the public that a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report from 2020 had already concluded that Russia did try to help Trump win the 2016 election mainly through Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort and by using WikiLeaks to spread damaging information. However, that same report found no evidence that votes were actually changed or manipulated.

Rodenbush also subtly pointed to recent controversies in Trump’s camp, such as the decision by Attorney General Pam Bondi not to release more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein.

This reversal upset many Trump supporters, who had been hoping the files would reveal a list of Epstein’s alleged clients. The confusion over the Epstein files even caused rifts within the MAGA movement, leading to heated discussions at events like the Student Action Summit organized by Turning Point USA.

In short, Obama’s team is dismissing Trump’s accusations as baseless, politically motivated, and a desperate move to shift attention away from growing criticism within Trump’s own ranks.