Donald Trump and Barack Obama at the presidential inauguration January 20, 2017 in Washington. - Andrew Harnik / AP / SIPA

  • The American president tweets at all costs on a mysterious scandal which he baptized "Obamagate".
  • He remains vague but accuses his predecessor of having sought to trap his former adviser Michael Flynn in the context of the investigation into Russia.
  • There is no evidence to support his accusations, and the Republicans in the Senate have so far ruled out summoning Barack Obama.

From our correspondent in the United States,

“OBAMAGATE masquerades Watergate as something nothing. Last Sunday, Donald Trump went wild on Twitter, drawing 125 tweets and retweets in less than 24 hours. Since then, he continues daily to accuse his predecessor of having committed "the most serious political crime in American history". What exactly ? It is not very clear, but it is linked to the investigation into Russia. And Donald Trump seems to accuse Barack Obama of having sought to "sabotage" his new government during the transition, in particular by "trapping" General Michael Flynn. Explanations.

OBAMAGATE makes Watergate look small time! https://t.co/vW19NbYXw6

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2020

OBAMAGATE pic.twitter.com/sPHfuNE0z4

- The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 12, 2020

What Donald Trump Said

On Monday, a Washington Post reporter asked him to clarify what this "Obamagate" was and what exactly he was accusing his predecessor of. Response from Donald Trump: "Obamagate, this has been going on for a long time. It started before I got elected. It's a shame that it happened. If you look at what's going on, and all the information that has come out, from what I understand, this is just the start. Horrendous things happened, and we should never accept that it would happen again. You will see over the next few weeks. "Okay, but" what exactly is this crime? Insists the journalist behind his mask. "You know very well what the crime is, the crime is obvious. Just read the newspapers, except yours. "

Reporter: “What crime are you accusing Obama of?”

Trump: “Obamagate.”

Reporter: “But what is the crime?”

Trump: “You know what it is”

🥴pic.twitter.com / wsIXrdvhcl

- chris evans (@notcapnamerica) May 11, 2020

Charges linked to the investigation into Russia and General Flynn

The attacks on the President began when his Justice Department decided last week to drop the charges against General Michael Flynn. The one who was briefly National Security Advisor to Donald Trump was forced to resign after three weeks for concealing contacts with Russian Ambassador Serge Kislyak in late 2016, during the period of power between Obama and Trump. Flynn was later charged with lying to the FBI as part of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller's investigation. But in re-examining the file, the justice ministry considered that its statements "even if they were false, did not matter".

FBI notes were also declassified, including this one, in which an officer asked, "What is your goal? Admitting the truth or making it lie so that we can prosecute it or push it to resign? Donald Trump and his supporters see this as evidence of a "set-up." But according to a letter signed by over 2,000 former members of the Justice Department, this is a classic FBI method.

What does this have to do with Barack Obama?

Charges center on January 5, 2017 White House rally attended by Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, FBI boss James Comey, Acting Minister of Justice Sally Yates and security adviser National Susan Rice. According to Yates' testimony during Robert Mueller's investigation, the case of Michael Flynn and his meeting with the Russian ambassador were discussed, but - and this is an important detail - it was not until January 24 (after the transfer of power) that she learned that the FBI had interrogated Flynn. Clearly, Barack Obama would have simply sought to know if his administration should pay attention to the information it shared with Michael Flynn but there is no evidence suggesting that the American president sought to "trap" the general via the FBI. Republican Lindsay Graham of the Senate Judiciary Committee has also ruled out calling Barack Obama to testify as part of the investigation. In the end, Donald Trump seeks, in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, to "distract opinion and mobilize its base by fueling conspiracies," said jurist Benjamin Wittes on MSNBC. Nothing surprising, less than six months from the presidential election.

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