Thursday, June 18, 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

    India 'A Life Saver', Say Grateful Quake Survivors

    India 'A Life Saver', Say Grateful Quake Survivors
    India was quick to respond to the disaster by launching a massive relief and rescue operation within hours of the temblor that has left over 6,000 people dead.

    India 'A Life Saver', Say Grateful Quake Survivors

    Is Australian Coal-lobby Blocking Uranium Deal With India?

    Is Australian Coal-lobby Blocking Uranium Deal With India?
    After India signed a deal with Canada on uranium imports during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Ottawa, questions are being raised as to why it has taken Canberra so long to clinch a similar pact.

    Is Australian Coal-lobby Blocking Uranium Deal With India?

    Over 5,000 Dead In Nepal Quake; 1,600 Tourists Rescued

    Over 5,000 Dead In Nepal Quake; 1,600 Tourists Rescued
    The toll in the massive earthquake that devastated Nepal on April 25 crossed 5,000 on Wednesday, Sindhupalchok being the worst affected district with 1,400 deaths, the government said.

    Over 5,000 Dead In Nepal Quake; 1,600 Tourists Rescued

    Payments For Caring For Kids, Elderly Will Benefit Women: UN's Laxmi Puri

    Payments For Caring For Kids, Elderly Will Benefit Women: UN's Laxmi Puri
    Making the care of children, the elderly and the sick into economically paying jobs could become an engine of employment benefiting at least one billion women worldwide, according to Laxmi Puri, a ranking UN official on women's issues.

    Payments For Caring For Kids, Elderly Will Benefit Women: UN's Laxmi Puri

    4,347 Dead in Nepal, Prime Minister Koirala Fears Toll May Touch 10,000

    4,347 Dead in Nepal, Prime Minister Koirala Fears Toll May Touch 10,000
    The death toll in Nepal's deadly earthquake could touch as high as 10,000, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala warned on Tuesday, as the Himalayan nation battled food and water shortages and rescuers reached some of the remotest areas worst hit by the disaster.

    4,347 Dead in Nepal, Prime Minister Koirala Fears Toll May Touch 10,000

    Indian-Origin Duo Develop App To Detect Sleep Apnoea At Home

    Indian-Origin Duo Develop App To Detect Sleep Apnoea At Home
    A team of Indian-American researchers from the University of Washington (UW) has developed an app that uses a smartphone to wirelessly test for obstructive sleep apnoea in a person's bedroom.

    Indian-Origin Duo Develop App To Detect Sleep Apnoea At Home