US Politics
Massive spike in threats against Obama after Trump team says he committed ‘treason’
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Threats made online against former president Barack Obama spiked over the weekend after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard accused him of a years-long coup attempt against President Donald Trump.
Gabbard has claimed Obama and his top officials ran a “treasonous conspiracy” by insinuating they manufactured an investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election to undermine Trump’s first election.
Hours after she made the claim, on July 18, violent rhetoric about Obama surged on platforms such as Truth Social, Telegram, and Gab, with some calling for his arrest, imprisonment, and execution.
That rhetoric was intensified after the president posted an artificial intelligence-generated video of Obama being arrested and continued to re-post Gabbard’s claims throughout the weekend.
By July 19, threatening comments targeting Obama rose from three to 56 – a more than 1,700 percent increase, according to the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.
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Truth Social users posted rhetoric calling for a “firing squad,” a “public hanging,” and “streaming” his execution live – all while decrying Obama for the alleged treason.
One user called for Obama’s execution by using memes of a guillotine, electric shock chair, and public hanging platform.
For years, Trump has blamed Obama and other Democrats for abusing power to facilitate investigations or indictments into himself. Since taking back the White House, Trump has promised to conduct a campaign of retribution against those he believes have targeted him.
The documents Gabbard referred to as evidence of Obama’s meddling show that the Obama administration wanted a review of the allegations against Russia before leaving office and pressured intelligence agencies to work quickly.
A spokesperson for Obama denied Gabbard’s allegations, calling them “bizarre,” “ridiculous,” and “a weak attempt at distraction.
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The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism said similar violent rhetoric increased on Gab, a platform known for platforming right-wing extremists.
Between July 17 and July 20, comments targeted Obama as treasonous and deserving punishment rose from nine to 48, a more than 400 percent increase.
A review of targeted comments made on Telegram in the same timeline revealed that threats against Obama rose from zero to 12.
Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement, “As a survivor of multiple assassination attempts, the President takes these matters extremely seriously. The White House condemns all acts of violence, and anyone engaging in such behavior will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
