Donald Trump has made an extraordinary new allegation against Barack Obama, claiming that his predecessor had his phones tapped during the 2016 election campaign.
The US President made the accusation in a flurry of Tweets, claiming that Obama had his “wires tapped” in his Trump Tower residence, but did not offer any further evidence or clarification.
In his initial Tweet, Trump declared: “Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!”
In follow-up Tweets peppered with his favoured exclamation marks, he accused Obama of personally tapping his phones after being turned down by a court, and called him a “bad (or sick) guy.”
“How low has President Obama gone to tapp (sic) my phones during the very sacred election process,” he said, without producing anything further to back the claim up.
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
Kevin Lewis, a spokesman for Barack Obama, has responded to the claims in a statement, denying them outright and saying that it was outside the powers of the former president to order such a wiretap. He said:
“President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. 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.”
It is claimed that the Department of Justice wire-tapped a number of reporters and editors at news agency AP in the lead-up to last year’s election.
Source: NY Times.
Photo: Mark Wilson / Getty.
