Obama’s Tangled Web of Deception and Treachery

Newly released evidence allegedly shows that Obama ordered false conspiracy reports about Trump’s ties to Russia

Image by Jürgen from Pixabay

“O, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive!”

— Sir Walter Scott, Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field

The famous line above comes from a poem written in 1808 by Sir Walter Scott about a man who uses his political influence to devise a devious plot of treachery. But it could just as well apply to what happened in the waning days of 2016.

In the latter case, though, the person wielding his political clout in a devious plot appears to be none other than then-President Barack Obama, aided by losing presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The target of the plot was newly-elected Donald Trump and the aim was to implicate him in colluding with Russia to win the election.

Much of this isn’t brand new information. It’s been known for years that the whole Russian collusion narrative was a hoax built on falsified information that was trumpeted by the national news media. But last week Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released a trove of information that allegedly shows the originator of the tangled web of lies against Trump was none other than Obama.

Beginning with Clinton’s Campaign

The first part of the story developed in July 2016 when the Clinton campaign hired retired British spy Christopher Steele to dig up dirt on Trump about alleged illegal ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In what became known as the Steele Dossier, Steele reported some dubious rumors about Trump’s stay in Russia. The FBI quickly realized the Dossier was a work of fiction, based primarily on gossip between a Russian and his Democrat girlfriend.

When Trump surprised the world by defeating Clinton in the election, rumors swirled that the Russians had rigged the election in his favor. But a month later, the intelligence agency, in its daily briefing to President Obama, determined that “Russian and criminal actors did not impact recent U.S. election results by conducting malicious cyber activities against election infrastructure.”

Case closed, right?

Obama Calls a Meeting

Nope. The next day, on Dec. 9, 2016, documents released by Gabbard show that Obama called a meeting of select cabinet officials, along with intelligence agency director James Clapper, CIA director John Brennan and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Obama allegedly ordered Clapper to write a new report. This report was to use the Steele Dossier as its basis.

The goal of the new report apparently was to not only discredit Trump but also to be the basis for securing federal wiretapping authorization to essentially spy on the Trump network. Through that, the FBI and Department of Justice were able to use specious information to entrap and prosecute a number of low-level Trump campaign workers.

Although it was later shown that not only was the information attained illegally, but most of it wasn’t true or didn’t meet the level of a serious crime, it was enough to cast Trump’s presidency in an ill light. It also allowed the national news media to parade “experts” like Brennan, Clapper, FBI Director James Comey, Congressman Adam Schiff and others on the air, claiming that “the walls were closing in” on Trump and that damning evidence of Russian collusion would be released in a few days.

Special Investigations Reveal the Truth

Of course, there was no damning evidence. A special investigation by Robert Mueller, although it prosecuted a number of low-level Trump associates for other crimes, couldn’t find a single link between Trump and Russian interference. The report, though, enigmatically said that just because they couldn’t prove he did it doesn’t mean he didn’t, which allowed speculation to continue.

Then in 2022 another special investigation by John Durham exposed much of the false information contained in the Steele Dossier and the illegal way the FBI had obtained its wiretapping permits.

Still, as late as April of this year, a web site called Truth or Fake claimed that calling Russian collusion a hoax was “mostly false.” It made the assessment based primarily on Mueller’s prosecution of Trump associates, even though none of those cases involved any connection to Russian election interference.

Until Gabbard’s most recent revelations, although involvement by Obama had been suspected, no solid information had linked him to it in any obvious way. These documents allegedly show that he not only was involved in the Russian collusion hoax, he was the mastermind behind it.

Next Steps

So what happens now?

For the past decade Democrats and media pundits have been screaming, “No one is above the law” in regards to investigations against Trump. It’s a phrase oft repeated by the likes of President Joe Biden, Senator Chuck Schumer, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and other prominent Democrats and media pundits. Will they say sing the same song now when it’s Obama, Brennan, Clapper, Comey and Clinton who are the subjects of criminal investigations?

Some people, most notably Trump and Gabbard, have suggested that Obama’s actions were treasonous. But by the narrow definition found in the U.S. Constitution, it probably does not qualify as treason. The Constitution limits treason to knowingly colluding with an enemy in an act of war against the United States. (Biden’s open border policy would be more likely to qualify as treason.)

But Obama’s action was at the very least an abuse of power and, with all of those involved, a conspiracy against a duly-elected President. Since this conspiracy has been going on for nine years, it might even qualify for prosecution under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.

Comey and Brennan are already under FBI investigation for their roles in the conspiracy, and Gabbard believes Obama and Clapper should also be included, along with others.

The fear among many conservatives is that none of the conspirators will actually be arrested or even held accountable. Republicans are known to talk tough but produce little action.

My guess is that the investigations will drag on for a year or two and some lower-level people, like deputies and assistants, may serve short sentences, But in the end none of the main conspirators will face a trial.

That would be a shame because Obama deserves to be trapped in the very tangled web he helped weave, a web he created for no reason other than spite at Trump winning the 2016 election.