Thursday, June 11, 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

    Pakistan Hangs Four Peshawar School Attackers

    Pakistan Hangs Four Peshawar School Attackers
    Pakistan early Wednesday hanged four convicted terrorists linked to last December's massacre at an army school which left more than 150 people dead, mostly school children.

    Pakistan Hangs Four Peshawar School Attackers

    Plea Deal In Works For Canadian Teen Charged In Double Killing In Florida

    Plea Deal In Works For Canadian Teen Charged In Double Killing In Florida
      Marc Wabafiyebazu, 15, is expected to return to court in two weeks for a hearing in which a plea deal could be reached.

    Plea Deal In Works For Canadian Teen Charged In Double Killing In Florida

    From Homeland To Hairstyles: Hillary Clinton Emails Offer A Glimpse Into Her Personal Life

    The roughly 7,800 pages of emails released Monday were part of a court-ordered disclosure of correspondence sent from the private server Clinton used while she was secretary of state.

    From Homeland To Hairstyles: Hillary Clinton Emails Offer A Glimpse Into Her Personal Life

    Narendra Modi, Francois Hollande Unveil Ricky Grammy-Winning Indian Artist Ricky Kej's New Album

    Narendra Modi, Francois Hollande Unveil Ricky Grammy-Winning Indian Artist Ricky Kej's New Album
    The music album was released during the International Solar Alliance (ISA) launch event and a music video from the album was screened to the gathering of world leaders present on the occasion. 

    Narendra Modi, Francois Hollande Unveil Ricky Grammy-Winning Indian Artist Ricky Kej's New Album

    A Phone Call From Canada Is A Glimmer Of Hope For One Syrian Refugee Family

    A Phone Call From Canada Is A Glimmer Of Hope For One Syrian Refugee Family
    IRBID, Jordan — Mohammad Mnaahe, only a year old and not yet walking, crawls across the beige carpets in his family's rented apartment about 30 kilometres from the Jordanian border with Syria.

    A Phone Call From Canada Is A Glimmer Of Hope For One Syrian Refugee Family

    Canadian Man Charged With Turtle Smuggling Scheme Expected To Plead Guilty

    Canadian Man Charged With Turtle Smuggling Scheme Expected To Plead Guilty
    ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A Canadian man caught with dozens of turtles inside his pants is getting snapped by the U.S. justice system.

    Canadian Man Charged With Turtle Smuggling Scheme Expected To Plead Guilty