• Senator Lindsey Graham found himself in a combative exchange with NBC’s Kristen Welker over allegations of treason against Barack Obama, the Russia probe, and the media’s coverage—underscoring rising tensions as newly declassified documents resurface politically charged narratives ahead of a pivotal election cycle.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — Sunday’s edition of Meet the Press turned fiery as host Kristen Welker pressed Senator Lindsey Graham on former President Donald Trump’s recent suggestion that Barack Obama may have committed treason related to alleged intelligence manipulation during the 2016 election.

Welker pointed to a bipartisan 2020 Senate Intelligence Committee report led by Sen. Marco Rubio, which confirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 race and discredited the notion of intelligence tampering.

“Do you actually believe that former President Obama committed treason?” Welker asked.

“I’m not alleging he committed treason,” Graham responded. “But it bothers me. This is disturbing new information.”

Welker plays multiple clips of Graham saying that Russia interfered in the election

Graham responds: I didn’t know that they were manufacturing evidence… this is new evidence.. Obama suggested I don’t like the outcome that there’s no evidence Russia was involved.

Welker:, Are… pic.twitter.com/tt2N6h1eXm

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Graham pointed to claims raised by DNI Tulsi Gabbard and recently declassified intelligence, alleging that Obama-era officials may have influenced early assessments regarding Russian interference.

“The intel community in 2016 told Obama there was no evidence Russia was affecting the election,” Graham said. “He told them to keep looking—and the narrative shifted. We deserve to understand what changed.”

Welker Challenges Graham’s Shift

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Welker countered by citing a 2017 clip of Graham himself affirming Russian interference.

“The Russians did it,” Graham said at the time. “They didn’t change the outcome, but they embarrassed Hillary Clinton. Only Trump denies this.”

When asked if he still believed that, Graham deflected.

“You left a lot out,” he retorted. “At the time, I didn’t know the Mueller investigation was riddled with manufactured evidence. The Durham report proved that confirmation bias and political motives shaped the probe.”

Though Special Counsel John Durham did criticize procedural missteps and bias within the FBI, his findings stopped short of proving deliberate collusion between Obama officials and the Clinton campaign.

“It did not yield evidence sufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that any FBI or CIA officials intentionally furthered a Clinton campaign plan,” Durham wrote.

Media, Mueller, and Motive

Welker then challenged Graham on whether the renewed focus on Russiagate and Obama was a distraction from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, which has engulfed multiple administrations and drawn subpoenas from the House Oversight Committee.

“Are you trying to rewrite history to distract from the Epstein matter?” she asked.

“No,” Graham shot back. “But I am trying to highlight that something new was found. People’s lives were upended chasing false narratives. Trump didn’t collude with Russia—Hillary Clinton‘s team created the Steele Dossier, which was used to spy on Americans.”

Welker pushed back again, noting that the report Graham referenced was five years old.

“It’s new to me!” Graham exclaimed. “You’re trying to sweep this under the rug. That’s not right.”

What Was Known and When

The clash revealed a broader political fault line: whether re-investigating Russiagate serves justice or amounts to political revisionism. Welker pointedly reminded Graham that he had long accepted the original intelligence community conclusions.

“At the time, you said you did believe the assessments and the multiple investigations,” she said.

Graham ended the segment visibly frustrated, muttering, “Whatever,” as Welker shifted topics to the Gaza conflict.

Despite the heat, the exchange underscored a growing Republican consensus that Obama-era intelligence decisions should be re-examined under a Trump-led Department of Justice—particularly as new subpoenas and interviews emerge in the Epstein investigation and former Obama officials face calls for accountability.

Is the push for renewed probes about justice—or political redemption?

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