Former President Barack Obama has finally responded to the damning accusations leveled by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who last week issued a criminal referral alleging he led a “treasonous conspiracy” to undermine the 2016 election and sabotage President Trump. But if Obama thought a carefully worded statement would defuse the situation, he may have badly miscalculated.
On Tuesday, Trump raised the temperature further by declaring from the White House: “This was treason,” directly accusing Obama of being “guilty” and “crooked as a three-dollar bill.” Hours later, Obama’s office broke its silence through spokesman Patrick Rodenbush.
“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” the statement began, before ultimately caving to pressure: “But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one.”
Obama’s camp dismissed the allegations as “bizarre,” “ridiculous,” and a “weak attempt at distraction,” adding that “nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election.” That’s a carefully hedged answer—but one that dodges the actual claim Gabbard made: not whether Russia interfered, but whether Obama and top intelligence officials manufactured a narrative to destroy Trump’s presidency.
Gabbard’s referral included over 100 declassified documents and named names: Obama, James Comey, John Brennan, James Clapper, Susan Rice, and others. She alleged the Obama team ordered intelligence agencies to “create and manufacture” the evidence necessary to justify a narrative of Russian collusion—even before any proof existed.
In a Fox News appearance, Gabbard called it a “treasonous conspiracy” and emphasized that her team was sending everything to the Department of Justice for action. Trump himself accused the Obama team of orchestrating the entire hoax and even pointed to the room in the White House where the alleged planning took place.
“They were all there in the room right here,” Trump said from the Oval Office, referencing Obama, Comey, Clapper, Brennan, and even Joe Biden. “It was lots of people all over the place.”
To date, not a single member of that alleged inner circle has responded publicly—except Obama’s spokesman, and his tepid denial only drew more attention to the seriousness of the charges. Rodenbush even cited a 2020 Senate Intelligence report led by Sen. Marco Rubio affirming Russian efforts to interfere in the election—again, something no one is disputing.
The real question is whether Obama used that interference as political cover to justify surveillance, leaks, and prosecutions aimed squarely at a rival presidential campaign—and later, a sitting president.
So far, Obama’s answer doesn’t touch that question at all. And that silence is increasingly being seen not as caution, but as stonewalling.
If Obama hoped to end the controversy with a brush-off, it may only be the beginning. The Gabbard referral, Trump’s new statements, and ongoing DOJ scrutiny all signal this story isn’t going away. And with no one else from the Obama team speaking up, the spotlight will only grow hotter in the weeks ahead.
