Obama pushes back on Trump's 'outrageous' and 'bizarre' treason claim
NBC4 days
Trump Accuses Obama of Treason Over 2016 Election Intelligence
Above: Barack Obama and Donald Trump at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 9, 2025. Image copyright: Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
Obama and his administration manufactured intelligence to undermine Trump's legitimate 2016 victory. The declassified documents prove they pulled an assessment showing Russia didn't impact election results and replaced it with a politicized version. This was a treasonous conspiracy that deserves criminal prosecution.
Democratic narrative
These allegations are a desperate distraction from Trump's current political problems, particularly questions about Jeffrey Epstein. The documents don't contradict established findings that Russia interfered in 2016 without altering the vote count. Multiple bipartisan investigations have confirmed Russian efforts to meddle in the election.