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Former President Barack Obama broke his silence after President Donald Trump accused him of being "guilty" of "treason" and called on the U.S. Department of Justice to order an assessment that Russia helped him meddle with the 2016 presidential election Tuesday (July 22).
"Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response," Obama spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush said via NBC News. "But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction."
Trump made the claim while being asked about late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, at which point he pivoted to accusing Obama of committing "criminality."
“After what they did to me — and whether it’s right or wrong, it’s time to go after people. Obama’s been caught directly,” Trump said via NBC News. “What they did in 2016 and 2020 is very criminal. It’s criminal at the highest level. So that’s really the things you should be talking about.”
“Look, he’s guilty. It’s not a question,” he added. “This was treason. This was every word you can think of. They tried to steal the election. They tried to obfuscate the election.”
Trump's successful 2016 presidential campaign was launched after he served as a leading figure in the "birther" movement questioning whether Obama, a native of Hawaii, was secretly born in Kenya, which resulted in the 44th president releasing a long-form version of his Hawaiian birth certificate in 2011. The president had previously accused Obama of ordering feds to "spy" on his campaign amid accusations of ties to Russia following the 2016 election.
Obama has also taken shots at Trump in the past, which included targeting his "weird obsession with crowd sizes" while holding his hands about four inches apart, mocking the 45th president's manhood. Obama also critiqued Trump's lenghty speeches as being "like Fidel Castro -- just on and on" and referenced his "constant attempts to sell you stuff," which included his golden sneakers and branded Bibles.