Saturday, June 20, 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, US Must Come Together To Combat Terrorism: Tulsi Gabbard

    India, US Must Come Together To Combat Terrorism: Tulsi Gabbard
    US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu member of the US House of Representatives, feels the relationship between India and the US has been energised after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit and wants the two governments to work closely in countering terrorism, including cyber terrorism.

    India, US Must Come Together To Combat Terrorism: Tulsi Gabbard

    Nepal communist leaders bond over 'PK'

    Nepal communist leaders bond over 'PK'
    Leaders of Nepal's two largest communist parties watched Aamir Khan's movie "PK" here as part of efforts to mend ties within the Left camp.

    Nepal communist leaders bond over 'PK'

    American Sikh Man, Hari Simran Singh Khalsa Found Dead In Mexico

    American Sikh Man, Hari Simran Singh Khalsa Found Dead In Mexico
    An American Sikh man reported missing earlier this week in the central Mexican state of Morelos has been found dead, an official in the town of Tepoztlan told Efe news agency.

    American Sikh Man, Hari Simran Singh Khalsa Found Dead In Mexico

    Another Indian From Andhra Pradesh Shot Dead in US

    Another Indian From Andhra Pradesh Shot Dead in US
    A 42-year-old Indian American, hailing from Andhra Pradesh, was shot dead by unidentified robbers in South Carolina, his family members said Saturday.

    Another Indian From Andhra Pradesh Shot Dead in US

    20 US States Begin 2015 With Higher Minimum Wage

    20 US States Begin 2015 With Higher Minimum Wage
    Twenty US states as well as Washington, DC, have hiked their minimum wages as new laws came into force at the beginning of 2015, and now 29 of its 50 states have a minimum wage above the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour.

    20 US States Begin 2015 With Higher Minimum Wage

    AirAsia Crash: Plane Landed Safely On Water Before Sinking?

    AirAsia Crash: Plane Landed Safely On Water Before Sinking?
    The AirAsia flight QZ8501 that met with disaster over the Java Sea on its way from Surabaya in Indonesia to Singapore Sunday, may have made a safe landing on water before being consumed by high waves, amid a raging storm, experts say.

    AirAsia Crash: Plane Landed Safely On Water Before Sinking?