Amid widespread speculation, rumors that former US President Barack Obama has been arrested or is about to be arrested have once again spread on social media, largely fueled by MAGA-affiliated accounts and political commentators.
The uproar intensified after Tulsi Gabbard declassified documents that claimed the Obama administration was involved in what she called a “treasonous conspiracy” related to the Russia investigation before the 2016 election.
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Gabbard went on to claim that the intelligence had been tampered with and said the materials had been turned over to the Justice Department for possible legal action.
During White House briefings, press secretary Karoline Leavitt reinforced the administration’s position when she suggested the Obama-era actions could be considered “treasonous” and described the situation as a serious abuse of intelligence authority.
However, neither Tulsi Gabbard nor Leavitt confirmed any immediate arrests, stressing instead that any decision regarding charges rests with the Justice Department.
Is there any evidence to support Obama’s arrest?
There is no verified evidence to suggest that Barack Obama will face arrest, as both the Justice Department and the media say the charges against him are baseless, misleading and lack legal merit.
What is the “Russian Scam”?
The term “Russian fraud,” often associated with the Mueller report’s findings, is used to describe the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 to 2019 U.S. election.
While these investigations confirmed that foreign actors interfered in the election, they did not establish criminal collusion between the Donald Trump campaign and Russia.
What Trump Said About Russia Hoax?
US President Donald Trump has consistently called the Russia investigation a “hoax” and publicly criticized Obama. Trump supporters took to social media platforms to call for Obama’s arrest, with many supporters using Gabbard’s allegations as evidence. Many of the allegations made by Gabbard and her supporters have not been proven to be factual.
What does the Mueller report say?
According to the New York Times, which had access to the Mueller report released on April 18, 2019, it said that Trump and 18 of his associates had at least 140 contacts with Russian nationals and WikiLeaks or their intermediaries during the 2016 campaign and presidential transition. The report revealed at least 30 additional contacts beyond those previously known. However, the special counsel said “the evidence was insufficient to support criminal charges.”
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The report also said Trump is also pushing a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow and has been repeatedly invited to an economic forum in St. Petersburg, Russia, attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian government and business leaders.
Trump’s ‘Russia Hoax’ Claim Not First Time?
US District Judge Donald Middlebrooks once characterized Donald Trump as an “engineer of strategic abuse of the judicial process.” In the short-lived 2022-2023 case Trump filed against Hillary Clinton, Middlebrooks described him as a “sophisticated litigant” who repeatedly uses the courts to pursue personal grievances, according to an AP report.
Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, but that didn’t stop him from naming her, along with several others, a central figure in a 2022 lawsuit that he believed had denied him the election.
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The lawsuit was part of Trump’s broader response to the Justice Department’s investigation into Russia’s role in the campaign. The investigation found that Russia interfered in US political discourse in an “extensive and systematic” way to benefit Trump and harm Clinton.
However, it has not reached a definitive conclusion as to whether Trump himself was involved. While the final report did not fully clear him, Trump continued to describe the investigation as a “Russian hoax” and claimed it was a deliberate effort to undermine him.
Fact Check: Can Obama Be Arrested?
News outlets, including CNN and USA Today, dismissed Tulsi Gabbard’s claims as a misleading reinterpretation of history. They emphasized that multiple credible sources have confirmed that Russia tried to influence the 2016 election.
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Independent intelligence assessments, including a 2020 bipartisan Senate report, backed up the CIA’s original finding that Russian meddling favored Donald Trump.
Even Republican Senator Marco Rubio, now Secretary of State, co-signed a Senate report confirming Russian meddling. The declassified documents released by Gabbard provided little evidence to contradict the mainstream news consensus.
(With input from agencies)
