Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 14 March 2017
Justice Dept. asks for more time on wiretapping evidence

JULIE PACE “The president used the
DEB RIECHMANN word wiretap in quotes to
Associated Press mean broadly surveillance
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fac- and other activities,” Spic-
ing a Monday deadline, er said. He also suggested
the Justice Department Trump wasn’t accusing
asked lawmakers for more former President Barack
time to provide evidence Obama specifically, but
backing up President Don- instead referring to the ac-
ald Trump’s unproven as- tions of the Obama admin-
sertion that his predecessor istration.
wiretapped his New York Trump himself has not com-
skyscraper during the elec- mented on the matter
tion. The request came as since his March 4 tweets, in
the White House appeared which he said he had “just
to soften Trump’s explosive found out that Obama
allegation. had my ‘wires tapped’ in
The House intelligence Trump Tower just before
committee said it would the victory.” He also wrote:
give the Justice Depart- “Is it legal for a sitting Presi-
ment until March 20 to dent to be ‘wire tapping’ a
comply with the evidence race for president?”
request. That’s the date of In two other tweets, Trump
the committee’s first open Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway is interviewed by Howard Kurtz during a taping of described Obama tapping
hearing on the investiga- his “MediaBuzz” program on the Fox News Channel, in New York. Conway sidestepped questions his phones, but did not put
tion into Russia’s interfer- about President Trump’s unproven assertion that his predecessor wiretapped his New York sky- the phrases in quotation
scraper during the election Monday, saying she was “not in the job of having evidence.”
ence in the 2016 election (AP Photo/Richard Drew) marks.
and possible contacts be- The president’s accusa-
tween Trump associates “If the committee does not R-Calif. luctant to publicly contra- tions against Obama
and Russia. receive a response by then, Trump’s assertions have put dict their boss. came amid numerous po-
A spokesman for the com- the committee will ask for his administration in a bind. White House spokesman litical questions surround-
mittee’s Republican chair- this information during the Current and former admin- Sean Spicer tried to clarify ing his associates’ possible
man said that if the Jus- March 20 hearing and may istration officials have been Trump’s comments Mon- ties to Russia.
tice Department doesn’t resort to a compulsory pro- unable to provide any evi- day, saying the president The White House has asked
meet the new deadline, cess if our questions con- dence of the Obama ad- wasn’t using the word wire- those committees to also
the panel might use its sub- tinue to go unanswered,” ministration wiretapping tapping literally, noting that investigate Trump’s un-
poena power to gather in- said Jack Langer, a spokes- Trump Tower, yet the presi- Trump had put the term in verified wiretapping alle-
formation. man for Rep. Devin Nunes, dent’s aides have been re- quotation marks. gations against Obama.
The House committee has
turned the matter back on
the Trump administration,
setting the Monday dead-
line for the Justice Depart-
ment to provide evidence.
In a response Monday eve-
ning, the Justice Depart-
ment said it needed extra
time to “review the request
in compliance with the
governing legal authorities
and to determine what if
any responsive documents
may exist.”
White House counselor
Kellyanne Conway side-
stepped questions about
the lack of proof Monday,
saying she was “not in the
job of having evidence.”
“That’s what investiga-
tions are for,” Conway
told CNN’s “New Day.”
“The president is pleased
that the House and Sen-
ate intelligence commit-
tees have agreed that this
should be part of the inves-
tigation that already exists
about Russia and the cam-
paign, an investigation
that apparently has gone
nowhere so far.”q