Donald Trump says Barack Obama committed TREASON by ‘spying’ on his presidential campaign in 2016
- Trump was interviewed by the Christian Broadcasting Network on Monday
- He was asked what crime he thinks Obama potentially committed by spying
- Trump said immediately it was treason, adding: ‘Let’s see what happens now’
- The president has long claimed Obama spied on his 2016 election campaign
- Trump says if roles were reversed and Democrats were spied on jail would result
Donald Trump on Monday said that he believes Barack Obama was guilty of ‘treason’ for ‘spying’ on his 2016 election campaign.
In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, the president was asked what ‘crime’ he thought the investigation into the campaign’s contacts with Russia would be.
He is asked by David Brody, chief political analyst for the network, what crime he thinks Obama ‘would potentially have committed’.
‘Treason. Treason. It’s treason,’ he replied.
Donald Trump told Christian Broadcasting Network that he believed Obama guilty of treason
‘They’d been spying on my campaign. They’ve been taping – a modern day version of taping – spying on my campaign.’
Trump said he had known for a long time that there had been ‘spying’.
‘Turned out I was right,’ he said.
‘Let’s see what happens to them now.’
Trump said that he was looking forward to the results of U.S. Attorney John Durham’s ongoing investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation, calling the Connecticut prosecutor ‘highly respected’ and praising Attorney General William Barr.
‘I want to stay out of it because otherwise it’s going to look political,’ Trump said.
‘Let’s see what they come up with. They don’t have to tell me.’
David Brody asked Trump what crime he thinks Obama ‘would potentially have committed’
Trump said Attorney General Barr has members of Obama administration ‘in his cross hairs’
Trump said that he already knew he was spied on, riffing off ‘the insurance policy – “in case he doesn’t win”.’
His reference to an ‘insurance policy’ is the Right-wing theory that the Democrats spied on him to try and find dirt, which they could use if Hillary Clinton did not claim her expected victory.
As ever, he made no reference to the concern about Russian influence in the election, and the fact that eight of his team members have been found guilty and sentenced for their roles.
Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller’s team has charged eight Americans once affiliated with Trump’s campaign or administration, 13 Russian nationals, 12 Russian intelligence officers, three Russian companies, and two other people with federal crimes related to the investigation into his campaign.
Trump instead referenced his ‘rogue’s gallery’ of people he accused of being part of a ‘deep state’ conspiracy to undermine him.
The president singled out former FBI agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, former CIA director John Brennan and James Clapper, former director of national Intelligence, and James Comey, former FBI director.
He said that Barr has ‘got them in his cross hairs.’
He added: ‘I will say this. If it was reversed, if the other side sat in that office behind the Resolute Desk, two years ago 25 people would have been convicted and they would have been sent to jail for 50 years.’