Trump accuses Obama of treason and attempted coup

U.S. President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama of "treason", accusing him of leading an effort to falsely tie him to Russia and undermine his 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump leaped on comments from his intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard, in which she threatened to refer Obama administration officials to the Justice Department for prosecution over an intelligence assessment of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

She declassified documents and said the information she was releasing showed a “treasonous conspiracy” in 2016 by top Obama administration officials to undermine Trump.

Gabbard accused Obama of "leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment." She said the documents would be sent to the Justice Department and FBI for investigation of "criminal implications."

Asked whether she thinks Obama is guilty of treason, Gabbard responded that she would leave criminal charges to the Justice Department, but said what occurred "can only be described as a years-long coup and a treasonous conspiracy against the American people."