Trump Calls for Criminal Charges Against Obama, Democrats

President Donald Trump has called for criminal investigations and charges against President Barack Obama and other Democrats, accusing them of conspiring to manufacture the Russia collusion narrative during the 2016 election. These allegations stem from a memo by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who declassified emails suggesting the Obama administration politicized intelligence to create the Trump–Russia collusion probe. Trump named Obama, Joe Biden, James Comey, James Clapper, and other officials as responsible parties, asserting that Obama was the 'ringleader' of the scheme. Gabbard has referred these findings to the Justice Department, though officials have not disclosed specific targets of the referral. Critics argue that these claims are politically motivated distractions from Trump's controversies, emphasizing that bipartisan investigations found Russia interfered with the 2016 election to undermine Democrats. The debate centers on differing interpretations of intelligence reports: one finding no threats to election infrastructure and another detailing Russian efforts to influence voter perceptions through disinformation campaigns.