Washington: Former U.S. President Barack Obama has strongly refuted allegations from the Trump administration that he manipulated intelligence concerning Russian interference in the 2016 election. Obama's spokesperson, Patrick Rodenbush, dismissed the claims as "bizarre," "ridiculous," and "a weak attempt at distraction."

Rodenbush emphasised that documents recently released by Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard do not undermine the widely accepted conclusion that Russia sought to influence the 2016 presidential election, though it did not successfully manipulate any votes. This finding, he noted, was affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee.

President Donald Trump, however, has doubled down on the accusations, labelling Obama's alleged actions as "treason" and asserting that Obama is "guilty." Trump has also suggested that several high-ranking former officials from the Obama administration, including then-Vice President Joe Biden, former FBI Director James Comey, former DNI James Clapper, and former CIA Director John Brennan, could face criminal charges.

The allegations stem from a March memo issued by Trump, which directed the declassification of all files related to "Crossfire Hurricane," the FBI's investigation into the alleged Russian interference. DNI Gabbard's recent report detailed what she described as "overwhelming evidence" of election fraud and a "treasonous conspiracy," stating her office would refer evidence to the Justice Department for potential criminal referrals, with Trump's backing.

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign were previously fined by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) for failing to properly disclose spending on opposition research that led to the Steele dossier. This research was conducted by Fusion GPS through the law firm Perkins Coie, which subsequently hired former British spy Christopher Steele. Trump has consistently maintained that Russia had no influence on his 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton.

With inputs from ANI