Monday, June 29, 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

    US federal court revokes ban on same-sex marriages

    US federal court revokes ban on same-sex marriages
    A federal court in the US has passed a ruling revoking the ban on same-sex marriages in Idaho and Nevada a day after the country's Supreme Court...

    US federal court revokes ban on same-sex marriages

    Ebola Escapes Europe's Defences: Madrid Scrambles To Contain The Virus; Orders Dog Killed

    Ebola Escapes Europe's Defences: Madrid Scrambles To Contain The Virus; Orders Dog Killed
    Health officials scrambled Tuesday to figure out how West Africa's Ebola outbreak got past Europe's defences, quarantining four people at a Madrid hospital where a Spanish nursing assistant became infected.

    Ebola Escapes Europe's Defences: Madrid Scrambles To Contain The Virus; Orders Dog Killed

    Sad that India unable to restrain forces: Pakistan

    Sad that India unable to restrain forces: Pakistan
    Pakistan Tuesday said it is "sad" that India "has not been able to restrain its forces despite strong diplomatic protest by Pakistan" and called upon the Indian government...

    Sad that India unable to restrain forces: Pakistan

    Death of Mountie who drew attention to PTSD a terrible loss: RCMP

    Death of Mountie who drew attention to PTSD a terrible loss: RCMP
    FREDERICTON - The RCMP's commanding officer in New Brunswick says the death of Cpl. Ron Francis, who helped draw attention to the issue of post-traumatic stress disorder, is a terrible loss.

    Death of Mountie who drew attention to PTSD a terrible loss: RCMP

    Modi, Obama have infused 'new energy' into ties: NYT

    Modi, Obama have infused 'new energy' into ties: NYT
    Suggesting that US President Barack and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had infused "new energy" into their stalled bilateral relationship, the....

    Modi, Obama have infused 'new energy' into ties: NYT

    Bill Gates lauds Modi for talking about toilets

    Bill Gates lauds Modi for talking about toilets
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi has done more than any other leader since India's independence to create awareness about the need for toilets, Microsoft...

    Bill Gates lauds Modi for talking about toilets