Left to right, FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Brennan, Director of U.S. National Intelligence James Clapper, DIA director U.S. Army Lt. General Michael Flynn testify in Washington February 4, 2014.
It is true that Barack Obama used the surveillance state apparatus in an effort to undermine the first Donald Trump administration with the Russiagate fraud. What Trump calls "Obamagate" is very real.
“It probably helps him a lot, the immunity ruling. But it doesn’t help the people around him at all. It probably helps him a lot. He’s done criminal acts, no question about it but he has immunity and it probably helps him a lot. He owes me big. Obama owes me big.” - Donald Trump on his treason accusations against Barack Obama
Because immigrants around the country are being snatched off the streets and detained by masked ICE agents without any due process, and because the United States remains committed to aiding Israel’s genocidal grip on Gaza, it isn’t easy to write the words, “Donald Trump was right.” But in regard to the manufactured Russiagate scandal, the assertion is absolutely true. Beginning during the 2016 presidential campaign Hillary Clinton called Trump “Putin’s puppet” and claimed that his victory would bring about “Christmas in the Kremlin.” She neglected to mention that she initiated the campaign to tag Trump with the Russian collusion accusation, and that she involved the Democratic National Committee and intelligence operatives in the United States, the United Kingdom, and even Australia, in her efforts to defeat him. She lost but Russiagate lived on because Barack Obama picked up where Hillary Clinton left off after Trump was elected.
On July 18 Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, announced that she would ask the Department of Justice to pursue criminal charges against former Obama administration officials James Clapper, who served as Director of National Intelligence, John Brennan, CIA Director, and FBI Director James Comey. Gabbard claims that these people “manipulated and withheld” evidence as part of a “criminal conspiracy” which alleged that Trump was aided by Russian interference in his 2016 presidential campaign.
What Trump referred to as Obamagate began on January 5, 2017, just weeks before his inauguration. On that date Obama met with Clapper, Comey, Brennan, Vice President Joe Biden, United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power, and National Security Adviser Susan Rice. They discussed Trump adviser Michael Flynn, who had served as Obama’s Director of Defense Intelligence before being pushed out of that role in 2014 for disagreeing with the Syria regime change plot.
Two weeks prior to Obama’s January 2017 meeting, in December 2016, Flynn spoke with Russia’s ambassador Sergei Kislyak. He did so at Israel’s request. The UN Security Council was set to vote on a resolution condemning Israel for its expansion of settlements. U.S. presidents always show a little courage regarding Israel when they’re on the verge of leaving office and Obama was no exception. He was ready to let the resolution pass but Israel wanted a Russian veto. Kislyak told Flynn that wouldn’t be possible but they spoke again about U.S. sanctions against Russia. Flynn advised the ambassador against escalating tensions but it didn’t matter. His calls were recorded and FBI Director Comey was ready to spring a trap.
After Trump was inaugurated Flynn was named National Security Adviser but he made the mistake of speaking to two FBI agents Director Comey sent to his office. Comey had also fooled Flynn with a leak to the Washington Post which said that Flynn was not a target of any investigation. The ploy worked, Flynn let his guard down and met with agents without having an attorney present. He was accused of lying to federal agents, was forced out of his position and his son was threatened with prosecution for not fully reporting contacts with a foreign government. That case later fell apart but the threat against the younger Flynn got the desired result. His father pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and the canard of Russian collusion with the Trump team began with a vengeance.
Trump later fired Comey and set in motion the naming of Robert Mueller as a special prosecutor. Two years later no one was even indicted for crimes connected to any possible Russian collusion but the damage was done to perfection.
When Trump said that Obama “owes me big” he was referring to a 2024 Supreme Court decision, Trump v. United States, which gave presidents immunity from prosecution for acts relating to the “core powers” of their office. Trump v. United States came about after Trump was indicted for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election after his loss to Joe Biden. It can be argued that Obama has immunity for his actions relating to the plot to get Trump. He does in fact have reason to be grateful for Trump’s determination to fight the charges lodged against him.
Of course Trump wouldn’t be Trump without rubbing salt into the wound. It isn’t enough for him to begin an investigation of the Obama team; he goes further, posting an A.I. deep fake video showing Obama being arrested in his presence and sitting in a jail cell in an orange jump suit. The video engendered more outrage than Trump’s very serious and well documented accusations.
It can be difficult to discuss Trump as he bullies other nations with tariff threats and U.S. universities and law firms with financial shake downs, and builds concentration camp immigration detention facilities and names them Alligator Alcatraz. It is easy to condemn someone who is so openly racist and vulgar and it can be harder to condemn someone like Barack Obama, who was as smooth as Trump is rough, but who behaved like all other presidents. Obama oversaw the trillion dollar bail-out of Wall Street and the financial sector. He presided over the loss of Black people’s homes during the mortgage crisis. He destroyed the state of Libya and began the destruction of Syria which was completed after a 13-year long effort in 2024. He used the Ukrainian right wing in 2014 to overthrow the elected president of that nation which still suffers as a result of his actions. He was subservient to zionism and supported all of Israel’s war crimes in Gaza and elsewhere.
How different is Obama from Trump? He is the master of image making and, in this case, can appear to be the victim of Trump when, in fact, Trump was the victim of Obama and the democrats. Actually the democracy which we are told is sacrosanct was victimized by the Russiagate witch hunt. Suppression of dissent was legitimized, lawfare against political opponents was legitimized and so was endless war. The corporate media became even more dependent on the state for access and approval and they still uphold the Russiagate lie at every opportunity.
Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama did great damage in their effort to undermine Trump and no one should shrink from saying so, regardless of opinions about Trump’s actions in his terms in office. The truth of the subversion of the system that they claimed to protect must come out. The fight against Alligator Alcatraz and all the other violations of human rights must go on. At the same time, the people who harmed the little bit of democracy we have must be exposed. Don’t condemn Trump for exposing Clinton and Obama. Let the chips fall where they may.
Margaret Kimberley is the author of Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents. You can support her work on Patreon and also find it on the Twitter, Bluesky, and Telegram platforms. She can be reached via email at margaret.kimberley@blackagendareport.com.
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