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U.S. NEWS Friday 17 March 2017

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White House resists GOP pressure, stands by wiretap claim

agencies reviewing con- “The president’s already based on anonymous
tacts between Trump asso- been very clear that he sources, which Trump has
ciates and Russians. didn’t mean specifically said cannot be believed.
Trump said there would wiretapping,” he said. It was not immediately
be “some very interesting In an attempt to bolster his clear what prompted the
items coming to the fore- case, the spokesman spent senators’ statements Thurs-
front over the next two nearly 10 minutes angrily day. Burr and Warner were
weeks.” In the two weeks reading from news reports among eight senior con-
since the tweets, the White which he said pointed to gressional leaders briefed
House has tried to soften possible evidence of sur- by Comey on March 10. A
the statement, but not dis- veillance. The list included Senate aide, who request-
avowed it. a report from The New York ed anonymity to discuss the
Spicer on Thursday as- Times, which Trump has senators’ private briefings,
serted that Trump meant dubbed “fake news,” as said Spicer was incorrect in
to broadly refer to “sur- well as conservative com- claiming Burr and Warner
veillance,” rather than a mentary, a little-known had not been briefed on
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., chairman of the Senate Judiciary phone wiretap. blog and several reports the matter.q
subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, joined by Sen. Sheldon
Whitehouse, D-R.I., the ranking Democrat, displays a letter to FBI
Director James Comey saying Congress needs to get to the bot-
tom of charges by President Trump that his offices were tapped
by former President Barack Obama during the 2016 campaign,
Wednesday, March, 15, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
EILEEN SULLIVAN tion. Spicer suggested the
Associated Press statement from Sens. Rich-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ard Burr, R-N.C., and Mark
White House on Thursday Warner, D-Va., was made
stood by President Donald without a full review of the
Trump’s unproven accusa- evidence or, incorrectly,
tions that his predecessor a briefing from the Justice
wiretapped his New York Department.
skyscraper, despite grow- “They are not findings,” he
ing bipartisan agreement said. The standoff between
that there’s no evidence the White House and law-
to back up the claim and makers came four days
mounting pressure to re- before FBI Director James
tract the statement. Comey is slated to testify
Angrily defending the before Congress, when
president’s statement, he will inevitably be asked
White House spokesman whether the president’s
Sean Spicer told reporters accusations are accurate.
Trump “stands by” the four The White House’s refusal
tweets that sparked a fire- to back down raised the
storm that has threatened stakes for Comey’s ap-
Trump’s credibility with law- pearance before the in-
makers. Spicer denounced telligence committee on
reporters for taking the Monday. Trump tweeted
president’s words too liter- earlier this month that Presi-
ally and suggested law- dent Barack Obama “was
makers were basing their tapping my phones in Oc-
assessments on incomplete tober” and compared the
information. incident to “Nixon/Water-
Spicer’s comments were gate” and “McCarthyism.”
a rebuttal to the top two Trump, in an interview
members of the Senate Wednesday with Fox News,
intelligence committee, said he’d learned about
who released a statement the alleged wiretapping
earlier Thursday declar- from news reports referenc-
ing there is no indication ing intercepted commu-
that Trump Tower was “the nications, despite the fact
subject of surveillance” by that he and his advisers
the U.S. government be- have publicly denounced
fore or after the 2016 elec- stories about government