Thanks, Obama! Trump follows up bizarre wiretap allegations by demanding investigation - but of what
SUNDAY, MAR 5, 2017 12:45 PM EST
Thanks, Obama! Trump follows up bizarre wiretap allegations by demanding investigation — but of what?
Trump's tweet-burst suggests he has no idea how surveillance works. But Team Obama's denials leave some loopholes
ANDREW O'HEHIR
-snip-
Virtually no one in the media or either political party has come forward to support Trump’s allegations, with Democrats assailing the charges as ludicrous and most Republicans remaining silent. But on Sunday morning the White House demanded a congressional investigation into whether Obama had abused “executive branch investigative powers” during the 2016 campaign.
In a possible signal that some in the White House understood that Trump had isolated himself with these charges, the official statement concluded: “Neither the White House nor the President will comment further until such oversight is conducted.”
A day earlier, Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis denied that Obama had ordered any such surveillance of Trump Tower, calling Trump’s charges “simply false.” Neither Obama “nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen,” Lewis said in a statement.
An even more forceful and specific denial came from James Clapper, director of national intelligence under Obama. In a Sunday morning appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Clapper said, “There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time, as a candidate or against his campaign.” Clapper “absolutely” would have known of any possible surveillance warrant against Trump or his campaign, he insisted.
-snip-
more
http://www.salon.com/2017/03/05/thanks-obama-trump-follows-up-bizarre-wiretap-allegations-by-demanding-investigation-but-of-what/
= new reply since forum marked as read
