Trump Says the Government Should Investigate Obama’s Netflix Deal

The House Judiciary Committee is investigating Trump. He wants it to investigate Obama instead.

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The House Judiciary Committee moved closer to opening impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump last week. But what really deserves investigation, according to Trump, is Barack Obama’s Netflix deal.

The president fired off an early morning tweet storm Monday, repeating his rallying cry that former special counsel Robert Mueller found “ZERO COLLUSION, ZERO OBSTRUCTION” and directing his anger at his predecessor’s book and film deals.

After leaving office, Barack and Michelle Obama reportedly signed a $65 million book deal, as well as a “high 8-figure” deal with Netflix to produce films and series. It’s unclear why Trump thinks that the Obamas’ post-White House endeavors are worth investigating, or what crime he is implying they have committed.

Trump’s accusations against Obama are nothing new. Trump was an active participant in the “birther” movement, steadfastly accusing Obama of having been born outside the United States. It wasn’t until 2016—when Trump was running for president—that he conceded that Obama was born in Hawaii.

In this case, Trump’s attempt to deflect attention away from himself ended in total incoherence. “I am far beyond somebody paying for a hotel room for the evening, or filling up a gas tank at an airport I do not own,” he wrote. “These Radical Left Democrats are CRAZY! Obama Netflix?”

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“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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