President Trump on Thursday escalated his attacks against former President Obama over what Trump has viewed as wrongdoing against his campaign by officials in the previous administration, saying that Republicans should call on the former president to testify.
“If I were a Senator or Congressman, the first person I would call to testify about the biggest political crime and scandal in the history of the USA, by FAR, is former President Obama,” Trump tweeted. “He knew EVERYTHING.”
The president specifically singled out Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), telling him to “just do it” and to stop playing “Mr. Nice Guy.”
Graham’s panel is investigating the origins of the FBI inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 election and links between the Trump campaign and Russia. The GOP chairman has forecast plans to call former senior Obama administration officials to testify, but signaled Thursday he was concerned about the precedent it would set calling Obama himself to testify.
“As previously stated, there will be oversight of all things related to Crossfire Hurricane,” Graham said after Trump’s tweet, referring to the name given to the FBI’s Russia probe.
“I am greatly concerned about the precedent that would be set by calling a former president for oversight,” he continued.
“No president is above the law. However, the presidency has executive privilege claims against other branches of government,” Graham added.
Trump over the last week has amplified unsubstantiated claims that Obama administration officials working on the Russia investigation improperly targeted his campaign for political reasons.
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Trump demands GOP call on Obama to testify before Congress https://t.co/HX3QOvlhRB pic.twitter.com/no1gCeBhzN
— The Hill (@thehill) May 15, 2020
DO IT.
You know what @LindseyGrahamSC, just DO it.
Make Daddy happy.
This would be the greatest moment of political theater in history, and you would be reduced to a quivering pool of oily flopsweat. https://t.co/crwvIADfBj
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) May 14, 2020
"There's no hard evidence to support the claims" is the first step.
The next step is "Barack Obama and Joe Biden have offered no hard evidence to refute the evidence."
This is how it's done. https://t.co/lBp5foMR4c
— A.R. (Actually Republic) Moxon (@JuliusGoat) May 15, 2020
What does it say about the character of those remaining in the GOP that so many still think this guy is even marginally acceptable?
Changing Subject Amid a Pandemic, Trump Turns to an Old Ploy: Blame Obama https://t.co/gwWY3Rhn0z— Steve (@SteveRi71331415) May 15, 2020
"Obamagate" has zero substance and is simply a grotesque signal to Trump's own base that our culture will always be "Us against Them" and that somehow Trump supporters will always be conspired against by "Them." Sad and dangerous.
— Richard Stengel (@stengel) May 15, 2020
So the same Republicans who claimed @realDonaldTrump’s delay in dealing with #coronavirus was due to a focus on #Impeachment have now introduced #ObamaGate, another thing to take Trump’s focus away from #coronavirus.
— Ward Carroll (@wardcarroll) May 15, 2020
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