In an effort to distract from his catastrophically incompetent pandemic response and the crushing economic fallout, President Donald Trump and his right-wing media allies started a conspiracy theory campaign against Trump’s political al opponents. The last one promoted by Trump as ‘Obamagate.’
Using politically motivated “leaks” of sensitive documents — strategically released by Trump’s political lackeys atop the intelligence and law enforcement communities — conservative pundits are hurling an avalanche of baseless accusations to whip their audiences into hysteria over a nefarious Obama-led plot to undermine Trump.
Ironically, as noted by The Hill columnist Marik Von, the documents do absolutely nothing to further such asinine conspiracy theories. In fact, they prove the opposite:
“The recently disclosed files show the Obama administration’s diligence and focus in the wake of Russia’s sweeping assault on American democracy. Moreover, contrary to unhinged right-wing conspiracy-mongering, the materials demonstrate Obama’s dedication to upholding the FBI’s independence from improper political influence.”
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“In short, Trump’s election-year ploy to distract the American public with selective leaks of sensitive information backfired. Spectacularly so.”
The FBI — rightly — opened counterintelligence investigations into several Trump campaign officials following a litany of Trump World contacts with shady Russian intelligence cutouts; these meetings coincided, naturally, with Moscow’s brazen campaign to swing the 2016 election in Trump’s favor.
The president’s baseless conspiracy theory du jour holds that members of the Obama administration improperly interfered with the FBI’s investigation into Michael Flynn, the first person President Trump fired (for lying to Vice President Pence and the FBI). Conservative pundits also peddle thoroughly unsupported claims that Obama appointees, as part of a vast anti-Trump plot, leaked sensitive information about Flynn’s case to the media.
But the evidence is abundantly clear: Obama — unlike Trump — was adamant about staying out of the FBI’s investigation into Flynn.
You can read the entire report here.
