2016 elections probe: Trump accuses Obama of Russia ‘hoax’; calls it ‘crime of the century’

US President Donald Trump has launched a fresh attack against Barack Obama, accusing the former president of orchestrating the false story that Russia helped Trump win the 2016 election. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and others were part of what he called “the crime of the century” and said there is clear proof against them. “Obama himself manufactured the Russia, Russia, Russia HOAX. Crooked Hillary, Sleepy Joe, and numerous others participated in this, THE CRIME OF THE CENTURY! Irrefutable EVIDENCE. A major threat to our Country!!!” Trump’s comments come just as the US department of justice formally received a criminal referral from former Congresswoman and director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. The referral alleges a “treasonous conspiracy” by senior Obama-era officials to undermine Trump’s 2016 electoral victory and cast doubt over the legitimacy of the democratic process. On Friday, Gabbard made public more than 100 pages of internal documents which, she claims, show deliberate efforts by members of the Obama administration to suppress benign intelligence in the closing weeks of Obama’s presidency. “Their goal was to usurp President Trump and subvert the will of the American people,” Gabbard posted on X (formerly Twitter). “No matter how powerful, every person involved in this conspiracy must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The integrity of our democratic republic depends on it.” Among the released records were assessments dating back to December 2016 from US intelligence agencies, which stated unequivocally that foreign adversaries had not altered the outcome of the presidential election via cyberattacks. “We have no evidence of cyber manipulation of election infrastructure intended to alter results,” one of the reports read, cited by the New York Post. Despite this, those findings were reportedly excluded from the Presidential Daily Brief after the FBI, then led by James Comey, expressed dissent based on what was described as “new guidance.” Just two days later, President Obama met with senior intelligence and security chiefs, including James Clapper, Andrew McCabe, and CIA Director John Brennan, in the Oval Office to discuss what would later become the cornerstone of the Trump-Russia collusion narrative. Gabbard said she has turned over all related materials to the DOJ and is urging a full-scale investigation into what she labelled the “boldest and most coordinated political deception” in modern American history. While the Department of Justice has yet to comment publicly, the explosive nature of Gabbard’s claims, paired with Trump’s renewed accusations, sets the stage for yet another high-profile political battle.