Wednesday, June 24, 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

    Indian origin in race for Senate election in US

    Indian origin in race for Senate election in US
    A man from Odisha who had gone to the US 20 years ago with just $50 in his pocket to seek a better life for himself and his family is a Democratic Party candidate....

    Indian origin in race for Senate election in US

    Wagah toll rises to 60, many battling for life

    Wagah toll rises to 60, many battling for life
    The death toll in the ghastly suicide attack at the border with India in Pakistani Punjab rose to 60 Monday with some of the wounded people battling....

    Wagah toll rises to 60, many battling for life

    'Security of Sikh pilgrims visiting Lahore to be ensured'

    'Security of Sikh pilgrims visiting Lahore to be ensured'
    The security of over 2,000 Sikh pilgrims, who are scheduled to arrive in Lahore city via the Wagah railway station Tuesday for the three-day birth anniversary....

    'Security of Sikh pilgrims visiting Lahore to be ensured'

    Suspected Ebola case at Brussels Airport

    Suspected Ebola case at Brussels Airport
    A person suspected to be infected with the Ebola virus was detected in Belgium Monday, media reported....

    Suspected Ebola case at Brussels Airport

    A record 30 Indian-Americans vying for office in US poll

    A record 30 Indian-Americans vying for office in US poll
    A record 30 Indian-Americans are contesting Tuesday's US elections that will determine the course of power politics in the last two years of President...

    A record 30 Indian-Americans vying for office in US poll

    Five killed in fire near US university

    Five killed in fire near US university
    At least five people died and several remained unaccounted for in a fire that occurred near a university in the US state of Maine Saturday, media reports said....

    Five killed in fire near US university