Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused his predecessor, Barack Obama, of “treason” and called for his prosecution following a controversial report claiming officials in Obama’s administration manipulated intelligence on Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, issued criminal referrals to the Justice Department after releasing the report on Friday. The report alleges Obama-era officials fabricated intelligence to support what Gabbard described as a “treasonous conspiracy” to undermine Trump’s presidency.

These claims contradict findings from multiple investigations conducted between 2019 and 2023, including by the Senate Intelligence Committee, which confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election in favour of Trump.

Asked during an Oval Office press event whom the Justice Department should target, Trump said, “Based on what I read — and I read pretty much what you read — it would be President Obama. He started it.”

Trump, who recently drew criticism for posting an AI-generated video of Obama being arrested, also accused former Vice President Joe Biden, ex-FBI Director James Comey, former DNI Director James Clapper, and ex-CIA Director John Brennan of being involved in the alleged conspiracy.

He labelled Obama the “leader of the gang” and reiterated his long-held belief that investigations into Russian interference and his campaign’s conduct were part of a “hoax.”

However, the Senate Intelligence Committee’s 2020 bipartisan report, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio, found the Trump campaign sought to “maximise the impact” of Russian-hacked Democratic materials to hurt Hillary Clinton and boost Trump’s chances.

The report concluded that both Russian meddling and the Trump campaign’s involvement constituted one of the most serious counterintelligence threats in modern U.S. history.