Monday, June 15, 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

    'Ok. Whatever:' Wife Didn't Believe Alberta Man About Winning $50 Million Lottery

    'Ok. Whatever:' Wife Didn't Believe Alberta Man About Winning $50 Million Lottery
    An Alberta man had joked so many times about winning the lottery that his wife didn't believe him when they finally hit the jackpot.

    'Ok. Whatever:' Wife Didn't Believe Alberta Man About Winning $50 Million Lottery

    Indian Students' Arrival In New Zealand On The Rise

    Indian Students' Arrival In New Zealand On The Rise
    A growing number of Indian students' arrival in New Zealand has bolstered the country's annual net migration figure to a new record, a media report said on Friday.

    Indian Students' Arrival In New Zealand On The Rise

    Indian Couple's Store Robbed In US

    Indian Couple's Store Robbed In US
    A convenience store owned by an Indian-origin couple in North Carolina's Gastonia city was robbed by a gun-wielding man

    Indian Couple's Store Robbed In US

    Privacy Experts Say Canadians Need Better Training On Internet Security

    Privacy Experts Say Canadians Need Better Training On Internet Security
    MONTREAL — The ongoing fallout of the Ashley Madison data breach has highlighted the pitfalls of using work email addresses for personal use.

    Privacy Experts Say Canadians Need Better Training On Internet Security

    Indian-Origin Businessman Rajesh Gupta's Company Assets Seized In South Africa

    Indian-Origin Businessman Rajesh Gupta's Company Assets Seized In South Africa
    The assets of a mining company, whose non-executive board members include Indian-origin businessman Rajesh Gupta and South African President Jacob Zuma's son Duduzane Zuma, have been attached following a court order

    Indian-Origin Businessman Rajesh Gupta's Company Assets Seized In South Africa

    Sapna Raghavan Becomes Second Indian-American Girl To Feature In Miss America Pageant

    Sapna Raghavan Becomes Second Indian-American Girl To Feature In Miss America Pageant
    A Connecticut resident, Raghavan, 17, who was crowned "Miss Connecticut's Outstanding Teen 2015" in June this year, is now considering participating in the prestigious Miss America pageant

    Sapna Raghavan Becomes Second Indian-American Girl To Feature In Miss America Pageant