By Steve Neavling
The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday announced the formation of a strike force to examine claims made by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who alleged that top Obama administration officials tried to sabotage Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
“This Department takes alleged weaponization of the intelligence community with the utmost seriousness,” the DOJ said in a statement, adding that it would “investigate potential next legal steps” based on the documents Gabbard released.
Gabbard declassified intelligence she claims shows a “treasonous conspiracy” by Obama-era officials, Reuters reports. Trump seized on the claims and on Tuesday accused former President Barack Obama of treason, though he offered no evidence.
An Obama spokesperson dismissed the accusations as “bizarre,” calling them a weak attempt to distract the public.
A 2017 intelligence assessment concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to hurt Hillary Clinton’s campaign and help Trump but found no evidence that the effort altered the outcome.
