Barack Obama has broken his silence on Donald Trump's calls for his prosecution, unequivocally rejecting accusations that he attempted a 'coup' after the 2016 election. In a rare statement, Obama's office dismissed the claims as 'outrageous' and a 'weak attempt at distraction'.
The former president's response came after Trump told reporters that Obama was guilty of 'treason' over intelligence assessments of Russian interference. Trump claimed Obama 'tried to lead a coup' and was the 'leader of the gang' behind a conspiracy to undermine his victory.
Obama's statement criticised a document released by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, which accused Obama officials of a 'treasonous conspiracy'. The statement noted that the document does not undermine the 'widely accepted conclusion' that Russia worked to influence the 2016 election, as affirmed by a 2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report.
Trump's remarks came during a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He called the Gabbard report 'irrefutable proof' of Obama's guilt, adding that she had 'thousands of additional documents coming'. The report has been criticised for conflating issues to discredit the intelligence community's assessment.
