WASHINGTON - Two Republican senators are calling for the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether former President Barack Obama and his staff were involved in an effort to undermineDonald Trump's2016 presidential campaign. The push by Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas comes after National Intelligence DirectorTulsi Gabbardin a July 23 press briefingalleged she had evidence the Obama administration promoted a "contrived narrative" that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump, arguing that it wasn't true. Russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump, according to former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's2019 final reportand a2020 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committeeassessment. Trump had long said the investigations into his first White House campaign and its connections with Moscow are a hoax. "For the good of the country, we urge Attorney General Bondi to appoint a special counsel to investigate the extent to which former President Obama, his staff, and administration officials manipulated the U.S. national security apparatus for a political outcome," Graham and Cornynwrote in a joint statement. "With every piece of information that gets released, it becomes more evident that the entire Russia collusion hoax was created by the Obama Administration to subvert the will of the American people," they added. Gabbard had released previously classified documents that she claimed "directly point to President Obama leading the manufacturing of this intelligence assessment." Onewas a reportfrom the House Intelligence Committee drafted by Republicans in 2017 and revised in 2020. ButThe New York Times reportedthe documents don't indicate any evidence of criminal behavior, despite Gabbard's claims, and merely show Obama administration officials pressuring intelligence agencies to complete their review quickly. In 2023, then Justice Department special counsel John Durhamreleased a report thatdetailed flaws in the department and FBI's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election led by Mueller. But Durham also concluded there wasno need for wholesale changesat the Justice Department and FBI, which had already overhauled its policies. On July 22, Trump accused Obama of treason without any evidence,as Reuters reported."They tried to steal the election, they tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody's ever imagined, even in other countries," Trump said during remarks in the Oval Office. Patrick Rodenbush, a spokesperson for Obama,dismissed Trump and Gabbard's allegations, calling them "ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction." Trump has been facing backlash from his MAGA base over the release of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's criminal files. Asked for comment on the calls for a special counsel probe into Obama, the Department of Justice referred USA TODAY to a July 23 press statementannouncing the formationof a "Strike Force" that would "investigate potential next legal steps" stemming from Gabbard's disclosures. "The Department of Justice is proud to work with my friend Director Gabbard and we are grateful for her partnership in delivering accountability for the American people. We will investigate these troubling disclosures fully and leave no stone unturned to deliver justice," Bondi said in a statement. The FBI is also investigating former CIA Director John Brennan and former FBI Director James Comey, who both served under the Obama administration, for possible criminal conduct related to their efforts in the Trump-Russia investigation,according to CNN. Contributing: Kinsey Crowley and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY; Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:GOP senators call for special counsel to probe Obama and his staff
