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Trump: Obama 'Colluded or Obstructed,' Did Not 'Choke' in Response to Russian Meddling

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June 26, 2017

President Donald Trump took to Twitter on Monday morning to criticize the Obama administration's response to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump said in a series of tweets that former President Barack Obama did "nothing" after the CIA first informed him of Russian interference in August 2016 because "he expected [Hillary] Clinton would win" and did not want to "rock the boat."

"He didn't 'choke,' he colluded or obstructed," Trump wrote.

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/879317636164841474

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/879320905608044544

Trump's tweets followed the Washington Post reporting new details on Obama's response regarding knowledge of Russian meddling. Former Obama administration officials told the Post that Obama failed to properly respond to the Russian threat.

"It is the hardest thing about my entire time in government to defend," said a former senior Obama administration official involved in White House deliberations on Russia. "I feel like we sort of choked."

Trump rounded out his series of tweets by further denying any "collusion" or "obstruction" on his part and by mentioning that he "should be given [an] apology."

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/879323238425395200

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/879324620159160322

An Obama spokesperson released a statement responding to accusations that the Obama White House did not respond appropriately.

This situation was taken extremely seriously, as is evident by President Obama raising this issue directly with President [Vladimir] Putin; 17 intelligence agencies issuing an extraordinary public statement; our homeland security officials working relentlessly to bolster the cyber defenses of voting infrastructure around the country; the president directing a comprehensive intelligence review, and ultimately issuing a robust response including shutting down two Russian compounds, sanctioning nine Russian entities and individuals, and ejecting 35 Russian diplomats from the country.