Monday, June 8, 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

    Like Emailing With Anne Frank: Syrians Head Online To Find Canadian Sponsors

    Like Emailing With Anne Frank: Syrians Head Online To Find Canadian Sponsors
    For nearly three years, his family had been in Jordan, among over half a million Syrians there crammed into apartments and camps. It was safer than sleeping in the bathtub in their house in Syria for protection from missiles, but they wanted out.

    Like Emailing With Anne Frank: Syrians Head Online To Find Canadian Sponsors

    Nova Scotia Premier Asks PM Trudeau For Funding For Trouble-Plagued Hospital

    HALIFAX — Nova Scotia's premier says he has asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for funding to replace Halifax's trouble-plagued Victoria General hospital.

    Nova Scotia Premier Asks PM Trudeau For Funding For Trouble-Plagued Hospital

    Modi Praises Indian Workers' Hard Work In Saudi Arabia

    Modi Praises Indian Workers' Hard Work In Saudi Arabia
    The large number of Indian blue collar workers in Saudi Arabia on Saturday came in for much appreciation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the hard work they have put in for the development of the Gulf kingdom.

    Modi Praises Indian Workers' Hard Work In Saudi Arabia

    Quebec Bill 74 Would Force Internet Firms To Block Access To Online Gaming Sites

    Quebec Bill 74 Would Force Internet Firms To Block Access To Online Gaming Sites
    Bill 74 includes a provision that seeks to force Internet service providers to block Quebecers' access to online gambling sites that aren't approved by the government.

    Quebec Bill 74 Would Force Internet Firms To Block Access To Online Gaming Sites

    Suspected MH 370 Debris Found On Mauritius Coast

    Suspected MH 370 Debris Found On Mauritius Coast
    A piece of debris thought to be from the Malaysian airliner that went missing more than two years ago over the Indian Ocean has been found in the island nation of Mauritius, media reported on Sunday.

    Suspected MH 370 Debris Found On Mauritius Coast

    India, Saudi Arabia To Strengthen Anti-Terror Cooperation

    India, Saudi Arabia To Strengthen Anti-Terror Cooperation
    Modi was also conferred with the Gulf kingdom's highest civilian honour, the King Abdulaziz Sash.

    India, Saudi Arabia To Strengthen Anti-Terror Cooperation