Over the past few weeks, the most senior intelligence officials in the federal government have released a series of new documents which they claim shows that, starting in 2016, President Barack Obama and his deputies carried out a criminal conspiracy against President Trump.

Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The Times, explains what’s behind the sudden re-emergence on the Trump-Russia saga, and what happens when heads of the C.I.A., F.B.I. and Justice Department all turn their attention to the president’s domestic enemies.

Guest: Michael S. Schmidt, an investigative reporter for The New York Times, covering Washington.

Background reading: In targeting Mr. Obama, Mr. Trump’s retribution campaign has taken another turn. A spokesman for Mr. Obama said that Mr. Trump’s accusations were ”ridiculous” and “weak.”

For more information on today’s episode, visitnytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Photo: Kenny Holston/The New York Times

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