Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper criticized President Trump on Wednesday regarding his assertion that the Obama administration committed “treason” and misled the public about interference in the 2016 election.
Clapper, speaking with Kaitlan Collins on CNN’s “The Source,” expressed his seriousness about Trump’s claims, stating, “It’s ridiculous. It’s just – it’s not true.”
He mentioned that he has a lawyer on standby, anticipating that the Department of Justice might take legal action against him. “Since we left government in 2017, we’ve always had a permanent lawyer,” he added.
On the same day, Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, Tarsi Gabbard, discussed a new Russian investigation request with reporters at the White House. This came after documents suggested Trump misunderstood Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election, in which he secured his first term.
Gabbard criticized Clapper, Obama, former CIA director John Brennan, and former FBI director James Comey, labeling the released documentary as particularly damaging. “We continue to send all these documents to the DOJ and FBI to investigate any criminal implications,” she stated. “We’ve pointed out evidence directly implicating President Obama in leading this assessment of information.”
According to Gabbard, “There are multiple parts of evidence and intelligence that confirm that fact.”
On Tuesday, Trump had labeled Obama and his administration’s top officials as engaging in “treason,” a serious accusation in the US. “It was a rebellion,” Trump said, adding that there were attempts to “steal the election” and obscure the voting process.
Trump’s remarks prompted a rare response from Obama’s team, which typically refrains from addressing what they deem “constant nonsense.” However, they felt the “treason” claims warranted a rebuttal. “These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and weak attempts to distract,” said Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush in a statement.
The document release from last week did not provide direct evidence showing that Russia influenced the 2016 presidential election, although it did not indicate that the vote was manipulated. A bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee review, led by then-Senator Marco Rubio, affirmed findings from a 2020 report.
