Obama Goes Public To Deny 'Bizarre' Trump Coup Claim

Barack Obama has broken his silence on calls from Donald Trump for him to be prosecuted by rejecting his successor's accusations that he tried to engineer a "coup" following Trump's 2016 election victory by "manufacturing" evidence of Russian interference.

- Robert Tait

Obama's office took the unusual step of issuing an emphatic denial after Trump told reporters that his predecessor had "[tried] to lead a coup" against him and was guilty of "treason" over intelligence assessments suggesting that Russia had intervened to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton in the campaign.

"Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response," the statement said. "But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction."

The statement went on to criticize claims made in an 11-page document released last week by Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's director of national intelligence, who said she was passing evidence of what she claimed was a "treasonous conspiracy" among Obama national security officials to the justice department, recommending their prosecution.