Trump says Obama was ‘far worse’ when asked about abuse-of-power claims, then adds, ‘I haven’t done that yet’
Self-aware
Donald Trump has faced repeated accusations during his second term of using his office to target critics. The latest wave followed his decision to bar journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. The White House cited reporting it said endangered national security, while the outlets and press-freedom groups argued the ban was retaliation for unfavorable coverage.
In a clip circulating on social media, a reporter asks Trump what he would say to people who accuse him of using his executive power to go after political opponents and the media.
Responding to the question, Trump said he believed that he hasn’t used his powers “at all.” He also suggested that former president Barack Obama’s actions were more intense than his. He noted, “If you look at Obama, what he did was far worse. He’d go and use his executive powers at a much… For instance, when he had leaks, they would arrest the people…the reporters, unless they gave them…the names and the addresses of the reporter or whoever it is that gave the leak.”
Trump also said journalists faced severe consequences for leaks during Obama’s administration. He said, “Obama used to go in, and if there was a leak, they would say to people, you have 15 minutes, and if you don’t give us the information, you go into jail. And I guess two people went to jail. 10 people gave it up. I haven’t done that yet.” “‘YET’” is the operative word and he is a liar on top of that,” one person wrote in the comments.
Trump’s specific figures don’t match the public record. The Obama administration did take an aggressive approach to leaks, bringing more leak prosecutions under the Espionage Act than all previous administrations combined, secretly obtaining phone records of Associated Press journalists, and spending years trying to compel testimony from New York Times reporter James Risen.
Several leakers were sentenced to prison, but no reporter was jailed for refusing to identify a source during Obama’s presidency.
Networks pushed back on the White House ban
After the ban took effect, the networks that make up the White House TV pool suspended pooled coverage of Trump rather than fill CNN’s assigned slot. As a result, a White House helipad event aired with no usable audio of the president’s remarks.
The three outlets sued, and a federal judge later issued a temporary restraining order requiring the White House to restore their access while the case continues. Trump has maintained that the ban targeted “fake news” rather than the press itself, writing that the White House “is not instituting an assault on the Free Press.”
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