Former President Barack Obama ironically suggested that President Donald Trump “politicized” the justice system and military in a love-fest interview with Stephen Colbert.
“We can’t overcome the the politization of the criminal justice system,” Obama told Colbert during a pre-taped interview for one of the final episodes of CBS’ The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.
“You can’t have a situation where whoever is in charge starts using that to go after their political enemies,” the former president added.
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Notably, this line from Obama is one that some viewers might see as blatant gaslighting, especially given that FBI Director Kash Patel recently said the FBI lied to obtain surveillance warrants that were used to illegally spy on Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign.
“Restoring some sense of the Justice Department being independent in making judgements about specific cases and prosecutions,” Obama continued.
“The second thing is the military,” the 44th president added. “Don’t politicize our military.”
“As president, you are commander in chief,” Obama said. “You are responsible for directing our military, but there had been a whole series of norms that were in place to ensure that you weren’t trying to make that military loyal to you as opposed to the constitution and the people of the United States.”
“We’re going to have to find mechanisms to restore that,” the former president added. “And a good policy that I’d like to see followed is that the President of the United States shouldn’t have a bunch of side hustles.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Obama encouraged Colbert to run for president, telling the left-wing host, “The bar has changed.”
“I’m looking for a new gig soon, and a lot of people tell me I should run for president,” Colbert said, to which Obama replied, “Well, you certainly have the look.”
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“Well, for the record, I think it’s a stupid idea,” the late-night host added. “How dumb do you think it is for people to say that I should run for president?”
Obama responded, “Well, you know, the bar has changed,” adding, “Let me put it this way, I think that you could perform significantly better than some folks that we’ve seen.”
“I have great confidence in that,” the former president continued,” to which Colbert replied by asking, “Was that an endorsement?”
“It was not,” Obama quipped.
Colbert’s conversation with Obama comes just weeks before his CBS show, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, is set to air its final episode on May 21.
As Breitbart News reported, CBS announced last summer that Colbert’s show would not be renewed for another season, calling it a “financial decision.”
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.