Trump Tweets;
“Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory,” he wrote on Twitter. “Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!”
In the Obama administration’s last days, some White House officials scrambled to spread information about Russian efforts to undermine the presidential election — and about possible contacts between associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump and Russians — across the government. Former American officials say they had two aims: to ensure that such meddling isn’t duplicated in future American or European elections, and to leave a clear trail of intelligence for government investigators.
Beyond Obama leaving a trail of Russia for the Trump Administraion; Did Obama wiretap Donald Trump at Trump Tower just before winning his victory as President?
Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
We are going to start with the Breitbart article, which lists two key data points that appear to relate to the president’s claim:
June 2016: FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] request. The Obama administration files a request with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) to monitor communications involving Donald Trump and several advisers. The request, uncharacteristically, is denied.
October: FISA request. The Obama administration submits a new, narrow request to the FISA court, now focused on a computer server in Trump Tower suspected of links to Russian banks. No evidence is found — but the wiretaps continue, ostensibly for national security reasons, Andrew McCarthy at National Review later notes. The Obama administration is now monitoring an opposing presidential campaign using the high-tech surveillance powers of the federal intelligence services.
Breitbart News reported extensively on the Obama administration’s efforts to undermine President Donald Trump candidacy, including the Obama administration filing a request to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) to monitor communications involving Donald Trump and several advisers. That request was denied.
White House statement: Congressional investigation will include “whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016,” CBS tweeted on Sunday.
Spicer said the White House was requesting this be included in any investigation. source
(2/4) President Trump is requesting that as part of their investigation into Russian activity, the congressional intelligence committees
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) March 5, 2017
On @ThisWeekABC Fmr Atty General Mukasey:I think @POTUS is right in that there was surveillance at the behest of Obama Dept of Justice
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) March 5, 2017