Trump, Without Evidence, Claims Obama Spied On His 2016 Campaign, Elicits ‘Lock Him Up!’ Chant
by Tommy BeerTOPLINE
President Donald Trump continued to ratchet up his rhetoric during a rally Sunday night in Nevada, once again accusing his predecessor, Barack Obama, of spying on his 2016 campaign, claiming, “We caught him cold,” which immediately led to loud chants of “Lock him up!” from the crowd.
KEY FACTS
During Sunday's rally held in Henderson, Nevada, Trump claimed, without a scrap of evidence, that former President Obama “got caught spying on my campaign.”
“He got caught. We caught him cold. We have him cold. Now let’s see what happens,” Trump said, after repeating the accusation.
At that point, the crowd burst into chants of “Lock him up!”—a riff on a refrain often heard during Trump’s rallies back in 2016, when supporters would shout, “Lock her up!” in reference to Hillary Clinton.
Trump smirked and pointed to the crowd as they began chanting Sunday night, and then paused to allow the chant to continue, and started speaking again only when the crowd had quieted down.
In December of 2019, the Trump Administration’s own Department of Justice Inspector General said he was not aware of any evidence that Obama or Joe Biden had any involvement in the decision to launch an investigation into possible Russian interference in the 2016 election and its potential collusion with the Trump campaign.
“We certainly didn’t see any evidence of that in the FBI’s files or the department’s files,” Inspector General Michael Horowitz said under oath at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his report regarding surveillance of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Key Background:
Despite the lack of evidence, Trump has often claimed Obama and Biden were responsible for the investigation into his campaign, which led to 34 indictments, seven guilty pleas, and five individuals sentenced to prison. In May, Attorney General William Barr said he doubted an inquiry into the origins of the Mueller probe would lead to a criminal investigation against either Obama or Biden. “As to President Obama and Vice President Biden, whatever their level of involvement, based on the information I have today, I don’t expect Mr. Durham’s work will lead to a criminal investigation of either man," said Barr. “They were spying on my campaign, and it went right to the top, and everybody knows it,” Trump said in November 2019. In June, President Trump falsely accused Obama of committing treason. “Treason. Treason. It’s treason,” Trump told CBN News in June. “They spied on the opposing party’s campaign and we caught them.” In that CBN interview, Trump went so far as to declare that the Obama Administration members could have been executed for their alleged transgressions. “If it was the opposite, two years ago, 25 people would have been convicted, and they would be sent to jail for 50 years. And by the way, if it were 100 years ago, or 50 years ago, they would have been executed, but we’re in a different time,” he said.
Tangent:
Sunday's rally in Henderson was held inside a manufacturing facility, defying Nevada's governor, as it violated a state mandate limiting gatherings to 50 people. Prior to the event, the City of Henderson issued a compliance letter and verbal warning to the event organizer that the event as planned would be in direct violation of the governor's Covid-19 emergency directives. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, said Trump was “taking reckless and selfish actions that are putting countless lives in danger here in Nevada.”
Further Reading:
Trump To Hold Indoor Nevada Rally Despite State Covid-19 Restrictions (Forbes)
William Barr doesn't expect criminal case into Obama, Biden over Russia probe (NY Post)
Trump defies Nevada governor with indoor rally near Las Vegas (Fox News)