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U.S. NEWS Monday 6 March 2017

Trump enlists Congress, ex-intel chief denies wiretapping

while a spokesman for Sen- dent. Trump spoke as re- had ever ordered surveil-
ate Majority Leader Mitch cently as last month about lance on any U.S. citizen.
McConnell, R-Ky., said Mc- how much he likes Obama “Any suggestion otherwise
Connell would not tell the and how much they get is simply false,” Lewis said.
Senate committee how to along, despite their differ- Trump has been trailed for
do its work. ences. months by questions about
Trump said in the tweets “How low has President his campaign’s ties to Rus-
that he had “just found out” Obama gone to tapp my sia. Compounding the situ-
about being wiretapped, phones during the very sa- ation is the U.S. intelligence
though it was unclear cred election process. This agencies’ assessment that
whether he was referring to is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or Russia interfered with the
having found out through sick) guy!” he tweeted, mis- election to help Trump
a briefing, a conversation spelling ‘tap.’ triumph over Hillary Clin-
or a media report. Obama spokesman Kevin ton, along with disclosures
The president in the past Lewis said Saturday that about his aides’ contacts
Former President Barack Obama accompanied by former first has tweeted about unsub- a “cardinal rule” of the with a Russian official.
lady Michelle Obama waves as they leave the National Gallery stantiated and provoca- Obama administration was Clapper appeared on
of Art in Washington, Sunday, March 5, 2017. President Trump tive reports he reads on not to interfere in Justice NBC’s “Meet the Press,”
accused former President Barack Obama of tapping his phones
at Trump Tower the month before the election, without offering blogs or conservative web- Department investigations, Sanders and Earnest were
any evidence. sites. which are supposed to be on ABC’s “This Week,” Pe-
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) The tweets stood out, given conducted free of outside losi commented on CNN’s
the gravity of the charge or political influence. “State of the Union” and
as Trump has alleged was and the strikingly personal Lewis said neither Obama Cotton was on “Fox News
Continued from front
done to him. FBI investiga- attack on the former presi- nor any White House official Sunday.”q
Spicer said the White House tors and Justice Depart-
wants the congressional ment officials must seek a
committees to “exercise federal judge’s approval
their oversight authority to for such a step.
determine whether execu- Earnest accused Trump of
tive branch investigative leveling the allegations to
powers were abused in distract from the attention
2016.” He said there would being given to campaign-
be no further comment season contacts by Trump
until the investigations are aides with a Russian offi-
completed, a statement cial, including campaign
that House Democratic adviser Jeff Sessions before
leader Nancy Pelosi took he resigned from the Sen-
offense to and likened to ate to become attorney
autocratic behavior. general.
“It’s called a wrap-up The FBI is investigating
smear. You make up some- those contacts, as is Con-
thing. Then you have the gress.
press write about it. And Senate Intelligence Com-
then you say, everybody is mittee Chairman Richard
writing about this charge. Burr, R-N.C., said in a state-
It’s a tool of an authoritar- ment that the panel “will
ian,” Pelosi said. follow the evidence where
Obama’s director of na- it leads, and we will contin-
tional intelligence, James ue to be guided by the in-
Clapper, said nothing telligence and facts as we
matching Trump’s claims compile our findings.”
had taken place. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif.,
“Absolutely, I can deny it,” chairman of the House
said Clapper, who left gov- Intelligence Committee,
ernment when Trump took said in a statement that
office in January. Other the committee “will make
representatives for the for- inquiries into whether the
mer president also denied government was conduct-
Trump’s allegation. ing surveillance activities
Spicer’s chief deputy, on any political party’s
Sarah Huckabee Sand- campaign officials or sur-
ers, said she thinks Trump rogates.”
is “going off of information The committee’s top Dem-
that he’s seen that has led ocrat, Rep. Adam Schiff of
him to believe that this is a California, said Trump was
very real potential.” following “a deeply dis-
Josh Earnest, who was turbing pattern of distrac-
Obama’s press secretary, tion, distortion and down-
said presidents do not right fabrication.”
have authority to unilat- The office of House Speak-
erally order the wiretap- er Paul Ryan, R-Wis., re-
ping of American citizens, ferred questions to Nunes,