‘Flailing effort to distract’: Lemire SLAMS Trump’s ‘treason’ claim against Obama

Allegations and Rebuttals - Former President Obama's spokesperson refuted claims of withholding information regarding Russian election interference, labeling the allegations as "outrageous" and a "weak attempt at distraction" [1] - Tulsi Gabbard alleged that the Obama administration withheld an assessment finding no Russian interference due to Obama's guidance, further claiming Obama ordered a new review to find Russian meddling [2] - President Trump accused Obama of treason and attempting to steal/obfuscate the election [6] - Obama's spokesperson stated that documents released do not undermine the conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 election but did not manipulate votes [7] Investigations and Findings - In December 2016, President Obama stated publicly there was no evidence of Russia tampering with electoral votes [3] - The 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee, led by Marco Rubio, found Russia posed a "grave counterintelligence threat" to the 2016 election and found "irrefutable evidence of Russian meddling" [4] - The New York Times reported that intelligence officials concluded Russia did not hack election systems to change votes but tried to influence the election by releasing hacked documents [5] - The 2020 Senate Intelligence Report, bipartisan and chaired by Marco Rubio, found Russia did not hack machines to change votes but "irrefutably" put its thumb on the scale in favor of Donald Trump in the 2016 election [8] Political Implications and Reactions - Concerns were raised that pursuing accusations against Obama would realize fears of retribution [9] - Accusations against Obama are viewed as a distraction, potentially related to the Jeffrey Epstein matter [13][14] - The use of the word "treason" by a sitting president against a former president is considered shocking and beyond the pale [15][16] - The Justice Department's pursuit of the allegations is questioned, considering the statute of limitations and the unusual closeness between the White House and the Justice Department during the Trump administration [17][18][19]