It was much more basic than that. Obama was just covering his ass.
Remember that this all started with the meeting of the Obama team in early December 2016 that set off the whole "Russian collusion" narrative. Those people didn't convene in early December 2016 just because they decided to undermine the incoming Trump administration. There was a much more pressing -- and practical -- matter they had to deal with:
1. The surveillance of the Trump campaign began in the summer of 2016 (if not earlier). It had nothing to do with Russia and everything to do with simply spying on the Trump campaign for political reasons.
2. What triggered the December 2016 meeting was a development that took place a week or two earlier. This was the remarkable event where NSA head Mike Rogers -- against the orders of his superiors in the Obama administration -- traveled to Trump Tower in New York City and informed the Trump team about the surveillance that had been taking place for months up to that point. This meeting took place right around Thanksgiving in 2016, as I remember it.
3. The Trump transition team immediately vacated its headquarters in Trump Tower and moved its operations across the river to Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
4. Once that Trump Tower meeting took place, the Obama team knew the whole conspiracy and illegal surveillance was out in the open. They met in early December 2016 to do some major damage control. The whole "Russian election interference" angle to the story was fabricated after Election Day as an ex post facto narrative that would be used to retroactively justify the illegal surveillance.
Good summary. I think you are right. The Russia Collusion hoax began as a justification for the spying. But it took hold and they ran with it to damage Trump’s image.
I have been looking for info about “Mike Rogers” for a while.I remember HE was the only one who looked honest and really TROUBLED by what he saw.
Then...NOTHING about Mike Rogers!!
HE IS THE BIGGEST HERO IN ALL THIS CORRUPTION.
AND...where is he now??
BINGO! Weird thing is that Mike Rogers QUIT right after that, iirc.