Tuesday, June 16, 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

    Hillary Clinton's Dodge On Keystone Xl Pipeline Frustrates Many, Including Questioner

    WASHINGTON — A town-hall spectator who elicited a headline-making non-answer from Hillary Clinton understands perfectly well why she dodged his question about Keystone XL.

    Hillary Clinton's Dodge On Keystone Xl Pipeline Frustrates Many, Including Questioner

    Jaspreet Singh, Indian-Origin Student In Detroit Develops Water-Resistant Socks

    Jaspreet Singh, Indian-Origin Student In Detroit Develops Water-Resistant Socks
    Jaspreet Singh, 23-year-old Indian-origin law student at Wayne State University in Detroit, has developed water-resistant socks that blew past its business goal within two days

    Jaspreet Singh, Indian-Origin Student In Detroit Develops Water-Resistant Socks

    Indian-Origin Man Ameet Gill, 32, Writes British PM David Cameron's Speech

    Indian-Origin Man Ameet Gill, 32,  Writes British PM David Cameron's Speech
    Ameet Gill, 32, has now become one of Cameron's most trusted advisors since joining his team nine years ago

    Indian-Origin Man Ameet Gill, 32, Writes British PM David Cameron's Speech

    'Indian-Origin Witch Doctors On Tourist Visas Duping People In New Zealand'

    'Indian-Origin Witch Doctors On Tourist Visas Duping People In New Zealand'
    The New Zealand immigration department is all set to act against "witch doctors" of Indian-origin after a case of fraud with an Indian-descent woman was recently lodged with the police, a media report said on Monday.

    'Indian-Origin Witch Doctors On Tourist Visas Duping People In New Zealand'

    Four Indian-Origin Kids Enter Australian Spelling Bee Final

    Four Indian-Origin Kids Enter Australian Spelling Bee Final
    Scheduled to be aired on Channel 10 from August 3, the Great Australian Spelling Bee contest chose the finalists from over 3,000 children across Australia.

    Four Indian-Origin Kids Enter Australian Spelling Bee Final

    Abused Indian American Teen Priya Gopal-Walker To Washington In Miss Teen USA Pageant

    Abused Indian American Teen Priya Gopal-Walker To Washington In Miss Teen USA Pageant
    Indian-American Priya Gopal-Walker, a survivor of child abuse, will represent Washington in the 2015 Miss Teen USA Pageant to be held in Bahamas.

    Abused Indian American Teen Priya Gopal-Walker To Washington In Miss Teen USA Pageant