title: The Beginnings of Obama’s Shadow Government
authors: George Neumayr, Jeffrey Lord, Brandon J. Weichert, Veronique De Rugy, Sam Westrop, Dov Fischer
content: In the New York Post on Wednesday , a political cartoon appeared mocking Obama ’ s lawyerly denial of his administration ’ s investigation of Trump-Russia ties . The cartoon has Obama saying : “ Nobody in the White House ever ordered a wiretap of the individual named Donald Trump by my specific direction during daylight hours via a normal surveillance request that I actually signed by hand with an official presidential pen . ”
  The cartoon captures the public ’ s skepticism of Obama and its capacity for understanding the upshot of Trump ’ s tweets . It is no wonder that Obama this week planted stories in the press to the effect that he is “ livid ” at Trump . He is livid because Trump is exposing the soft coup that he had set in motion before leaving office . As Rush Limbaugh put it , Trump is picking up the grenades Obama tossed and throwing them back at him .
  One of those Obama-planted grenades blew up Michael Flynn , but the real target was Trump . Like Congressman John Lewis , the Obamas do not view Trump as a legitimate president . Shortly after Lewis made that comment , Michele Obama tweeted out praise of Lewis as a civil rights hero . It was a remarkably subversive tweet , designed to telegraph support for his attack on Trump under the guise of praising Lewis ’ s “ legacy. ” She wrote that the example of “ great leaders ” like Lewis should be “ our call to action . ”
  In an equally subversive tweet , Barack Obama expressed support for the anti-Trump protests , pronouncing himself “ heartened ” by them . He , of course , didn ’ t mention that his political network , Organizing for Action ( which grew out of Obama for America ) , had helped organize those protests .
  As Paul Sperry reports , “ Obama has an army of agitators — numbering more than 30,000 — who will fight his Republican successor at every turn of his historic presidency . And Obama will command them from a bunker less than two miles from the White House . ”
  He ’ s doing it through a network of leftist nonprofits led by Organizing for Action . Normally you ’ d expect an organization set up to support a politician and his agenda to close up shop after that candidate leaves office , but not Obama ’ s OFA . Rather , it ’ s gearing up for battle , with a growing war chest and more than 250 offices across the country… Run by old Obama aides and campaign workers , federal tax records show “ nonpartisan ” OFA marshals 32,525 volunteers nationwide . Registered as a 501 ( c ) ( 4 ) , it doesn ’ t have to disclose its donors , but they ’ ve been generous . OFA has raised more than $ 40 million in contributions and grants since evolving from Obama ’ s campaign organization Obama for America in 2013 . OFA , in IRS filings , says it trains young activists to develop “ organizing skills. ” Armed with Obama ’ s 2012 campaign database , OFA plans to get out the vote for Democratic candidates it ’ s grooming to win back Congress and erect a wall of resistance to Trump at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue .
  Another arm of his shadow government is the Obama Foundation , reports Sperry :
  It will be aided in that effort by the Obama Foundation , run by Obama ’ s former political director , and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee , launched last month by Obama pal Eric Holder to end what he and Obama call GOP “ gerrymandering ” of congressional districts . Obama will be overseeing it all from a shadow White House located within two miles of Trump . It features a mansion , which he ’ s fortifying with construction of a tall brick perimeter , and a nearby taxpayer-funded office with his own chief of staff and press secretary . Michelle Obama will also open an office there , along with the Obama Foundation .
  According to the Huffington Post ’ s Sam Stein , Obama has “ dispatched his team ― more than a dozen strong , working out of an office in the West End neighborhood of Washington ― to keep tabs on the unreported stories [ about Trump ] . There is a regular conference call for ‘ the Obama network , ’ a meeting the ex-president attended with former aides a few weeks back , and ad hoc calls to Senate and House Democrats , state-based groups and grassroots organizations . ”
  All of this sets Obama up to war against Trump from both inside and outside the government . His operatives salted throughout the government and intelligence agencies will plant phony controversies ; his army of agitators outside of it will protest over them .
  This is what Obama meant when he said that he would devote part of his post-presidency to rekindling his roots as a community organizer . Yes , he is organizing a community of sorts , but to conduct a coup . If anyone has a right to be livid , it is Trump .
content_original: In the New York Post on Wednesday, a political cartoon appeared mocking Obama’s lawyerly denial of his administration’s investigation of Trump-Russia ties. The cartoon has Obama saying: “Nobody in the White House ever ordered a wiretap of the individual named Donald Trump by my specific direction during daylight hours via a normal surveillance request that I actually signed by hand with an official presidential pen.”
  
  The cartoon captures the public’s skepticism of Obama and its capacity for understanding the upshot of Trump’s tweets. It is no wonder that Obama this week planted stories in the press to the effect that he is “livid” at Trump. He is livid because Trump is exposing the soft coup that he had set in motion before leaving office. As Rush Limbaugh put it, Trump is picking up the grenades Obama tossed and throwing them back at him.
  
  One of those Obama-planted grenades blew up Michael Flynn, but the real target was Trump. Like Congressman John Lewis, the Obamas do not view Trump as a legitimate president. Shortly after Lewis made that comment, Michele Obama tweeted out praise of Lewis as a civil rights hero. It was a remarkably subversive tweet, designed to telegraph support for his attack on Trump under the guise of praising Lewis’s “legacy.” She wrote that the example of “great leaders” like Lewis should be “our call to action.”
  
  In an equally subversive tweet, Barack Obama expressed support for the anti-Trump protests, pronouncing himself “heartened” by them. He, of course, didn’t mention that his political network, Organizing for Action (which grew out of Obama for America), had helped organize those protests.
  
  As Paul Sperry reports, “Obama has an army of agitators — numbering more than 30,000 — who will fight his Republican successor at every turn of his historic presidency. And Obama will command them from a bunker less than two miles from the White House.”
  
  Sperry continues:
  
  He’s doing it through a network of leftist nonprofits led by Organizing for Action. Normally you’d expect an organization set up to support a politician and his agenda to close up shop after that candidate leaves office, but not Obama’s OFA. Rather, it’s gearing up for battle, with a growing war chest and more than 250 offices across the country… Run by old Obama aides and campaign workers, federal tax records show “nonpartisan” OFA marshals 32,525 volunteers nationwide. Registered as a 501(c)(4), it doesn’t have to disclose its donors, but they’ve been generous. OFA has raised more than $40 million in contributions and grants since evolving from Obama’s campaign organization Obama for America in 2013. OFA, in IRS filings, says it trains young activists to develop “organizing skills.” Armed with Obama’s 2012 campaign database, OFA plans to get out the vote for Democratic candidates it’s grooming to win back Congress and erect a wall of resistance to Trump at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.
  
  Another arm of his shadow government is the Obama Foundation, reports Sperry:
  
  It will be aided in that effort by the Obama Foundation, run by Obama’s former political director, and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, launched last month by Obama pal Eric Holder to end what he and Obama call GOP “gerrymandering” of congressional districts. Obama will be overseeing it all from a shadow White House located within two miles of Trump. It features a mansion, which he’s fortifying with construction of a tall brick perimeter, and a nearby taxpayer-funded office with his own chief of staff and press secretary. Michelle Obama will also open an office there, along with the Obama Foundation.
  
  According to the Huffington Post’s Sam Stein, Obama has “dispatched his team ― more than a dozen strong, working out of an office in the West End neighborhood of Washington ― to keep tabs on the unreported stories [about Trump]. There is a regular conference call for ‘the Obama network,’ a meeting the ex-president attended with former aides a few weeks back, and ad hoc calls to Senate and House Democrats, state-based groups and grassroots organizations.”
  
  All of this sets Obama up to war against Trump from both inside and outside the government. His operatives salted throughout the government and intelligence agencies will plant phony controversies; his army of agitators outside of it will protest over them.
  
  This is what Obama meant when he said that he would devote part of his post-presidency to rekindling his roots as a community organizer. Yes, he is organizing a community of sorts, but to conduct a coup. If anyone has a right to be livid, it is Trump.