Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Obama Spokesman Says Trump’s Wire-Tapping Claims “Simply False”

Obama Spokesman Says Trump’s Wire-Tapping Claims “Simply False”

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump's accusation that his predecessor Barack Obama had his "wires tapped" in Trump Tower before Election Day is "simply false," Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis said Saturday.
"A cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice," Lewis said in a statement.
"As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false," said Lewis.
Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security adviser to Obama, tweeted that presidents can't simply order wiretaps as Trump suggests.
Earlier Saturday, Trump claimed in a tweet storm that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower before his election victory. It remains unclear whether Trump had any proof or was referencing a report. 
"Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" Trump tweeted in a series of five tweets on Saturday morning.

"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!" he added in subsequent tweets. "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!" (Xinhua)