WATCH: Obama Gets ROASTED After Dropping Jaw-Dropping Line

Former President Barack Obama is facing fierce backlash online after making comments about the Justice Department and political prosecutions during a late-night interview that some immediately blasted as hypocritical.

Obama appeared Tuesday night on Stephen Colbert’s CBS program as the embattled host prepares to wrap up his canceled late-night run later this month. The appearance came as late-night television faces growing scrutiny from President Donald Trump and the Federal Communications Commission over accusations that the shows overwhelmingly favor Democrats in both guests and political commentary.

During the interview, Obama raised concerns about what he described as expanding executive branch powers and the politicization of the Justice Department. While he never directly mentioned Trump by name, the target of his criticism was obvious throughout the conversation.

“There are a couple that I followed, even though they weren’t law, and I want us… We’re going to have to do some work to return to this basic norm, and we probably now have to codify it,” Obama said.

He then added, “The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting… the president wants to prosecute. Right, because technically it’s under the executive branch, but the norm is that it’s independent.”

Obama continued by saying the attorney general is supposed to represent the American people rather than serve as “the president’s consigliere.”

WATCH:

🚨 NOW: Barack Hussein Obama is getting RIPPED for dropping this line with a straight face

“The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the Attorney General to go around prosecuting whoever the president wants prosecuted!” 🤡

WILL CAIN: “That’s RICH enough now to pucker your… pic.twitter.com/xib1mq81ff

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 6, 2026

The comments immediately triggered outrage from conservatives and Trump supporters, many of whom pointed to the years-long investigations and prosecutions aimed at Trump while Obama and President Joe Biden were in power.

Critics, like Will Cain, quickly resurfaced the Russia investigation that began during the final months of the Obama administration in 2016. Trump allies have long argued that the probe unfairly targeted the then-president-elect and was politically motivated from the start.

Others pointed to the numerous criminal and civil cases Trump faced after leaving office, including the federal classified documents case, the federal election-related prosecution, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s criminal case involving business records, and New York Attorney General Letitia James’ civil fraud lawsuit against the Trump Organization.

While some of those cases were later dismissed or delayed, conservatives argue they collectively represented an unprecedented campaign of “lawfare” against a political opponent.

Cain mocked Obama’s remarks by saying the statement was “rich enough to pucker your face.”

Obama also used the interview to urge Democrats to communicate differently with voters, warning members of his party not to sound overly academic or disconnected from ordinary Americans. At one point, the conversation even drifted into jokes about aliens, giving the interview a lighter tone before returning to politics. Still, it was Obama’s remarks on prosecutions and the Justice Department that dominated reactions online.

The interview arrives at a tense political moment as Trump’s administration continues battling legacy media outlets and major television networks over accusations of political bias. Colbert himself has become a frequent target of Trump due to his nightly attacks on conservatives and Republicans.

“We can survive a lot — bad policy, funky elections, there’s a bunch of stuff that, you know, we can overcome,” Obama said. “We can’t overcome the politicization of our justice system, the awesome power of the state. You can’t have a situation in which whoever is in charge of the government starts using that to go after their political enemies or reward their friends.”

But for many Trump supporters, the comments only reopened old wounds surrounding years of investigations, impeachments and court battles targeting the president.

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