Monday, March 30, 2026
ADVT 
International

Donald Trump's Wire-Tapping Claims Simply False: Obama Spokesman

The Canadian Press, 04 Mar, 2017 12:42 PM
    US President Donald Trump's accusation that his predecessor Barack Obama had his "wires tapped" in Trump Tower before Election Day is "simply false", Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said on Saturday.
     
    "A cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice," Xinhua news agency quoted Lewis as saying in a statement.
     
    "As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false," said Lewis.
     
    Trump claimed in a tweet storm on Saturday morning that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower before his election victory, but offered no evidence.
     
    Trump said: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"
     
    He also called Obama a "bad, or sick, guy". 
     
    "Is it legal for a sitting President to be 'wiretapping' a race for President prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!" Trump added in subsequent tweets. 
     
    "I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!"
     
    The President then compared the alleged surveillance of his communications to Watergate -- the scandal in the early 1970s that brought down Republican President Richard Nixon after he ordered a break-in of the Democrats' Washington headquarters.
     
    However, Trump did not immediately provide evidence that Obama was responsible for surveillance on his property, the Hill newspaper reported.
     
     
    Moments earlier, Trump had also linked Obama to Attorney General Jeff Sessions's meetings last year with Russia's ambassador to Washington.
     
    "The first meeting Jeff Sessions had with the Russian Amb was set up by the Obama Administration under education programme for 100 Ambs," he tweeted.
     
    Sessions on Thursday said he would recuse himself from any investigations into Russia's links to Trump's team, after massive outrage over the revelations that he met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak twice during the campaign, then denied doing so during his confirmation hearings.
     
    Trump also blasted Obama for meeting Kislyak 22 times and tweeted: "Just out: The same Russian Ambassador that met Jeff Sessions visited the Obama White House 22 times, and 4 times last year alone."
     
    Trump's team has sought to push back on accusations of ties with Russia by pointing out instances of Democrats meeting Kislyak, according to the report. 
     
    Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was ousted last month after revelations that he misled top White House officials about the nature of his conversations with Kislyak.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Don't Know Putin, Have No Deals In Russia: Donald Trump

    In recent days, Mr Trump has been slammed by the opposition parties for saying that he wants to work with Russia and Putin in the fight against ISIS.

    Don't Know Putin, Have No Deals In Russia: Donald Trump

    50 Years of the Sikh Foundation: The Pride and Promise

    50 Years of the Sikh Foundation: The Pride and Promise
    The Sikh Foundation begins its 50th anniversary celebrations in 2017 with an exhibition at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco titled “Saints and Kings: Arts, Culture, and Legacy of the Sikhs” from March 10th to June 4th, 2017. It features treasures like the ornate helmets and armor worn by the Sikh royals, miniatures carried out in various Indian styles, and art created by artists of various religions and ethnicities featuring Sikh personages and court life.

    50 Years of the Sikh Foundation: The Pride and Promise

    4-Year-Old Girl Dies After US Mom Kicks Her In The Stomach For Not Brushing Teeth

    4-Year-Old Girl Dies After US Mom Kicks Her In The Stomach For Not Brushing Teeth
    A four-year-old girl in the US has died after her mother allegedly kicked her in the stomach for not brushing teeth. 

    4-Year-Old Girl Dies After US Mom Kicks Her In The Stomach For Not Brushing Teeth

    WATCH: Richard Branson Challenged Barack Obama To Kitesurfing Contest. Who Won?

    WATCH: Richard Branson Challenged Barack Obama To Kitesurfing Contest. Who Won?
    Former President Barack Obama, and his wife, Michelle, have spent some time vacationing with Richard Branson since leaving the White House.

    WATCH: Richard Branson Challenged Barack Obama To Kitesurfing Contest. Who Won?

    Britain Says Fighter Jets Escort Pakistan Jetliner To Stansted Airport In London

    Britain Says Fighter Jets Escort Pakistan Jetliner To Stansted Airport In London
    Britain scrambled fighter jets on Tuesday to escort a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft to Stansted airport

    Britain Says Fighter Jets Escort Pakistan Jetliner To Stansted Airport In London

    The Bunnies Are Back In Town: Playboy Club Reopening In NYC

    The Bunnies Are Back In Town: Playboy Club Reopening In NYC
    NEW YORK — The tightly corseted Playboy Bunnies, with rabbit tails and ears, will soon be back in business in New York City.

    The Bunnies Are Back In Town: Playboy Club Reopening In NYC