Donald Trump’s claims that President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower were thoroughly discredited by top U.S. intelligence officials. (Photo: Pool/Getty Images)
Trump made the accusation in a series of statements on Twitter and has refused to back down, or retract, the claims.
But Comey and Rogers left no doubt in testimony that absolutely no evidence exists that Obama ordered wiretaps either directly or through Britain’s spy agency.
Comey said directly Obama could not have ordered a tap of Trump. “No individual in the United States can direct electronic surveillance of anyone,” Comey says. “No president could.”
“We do not have any information that supports those tweets,” Comey said.
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
“I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside the DoJ has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the DoJ in all its components,” Comey added.
After a rough week that saw Attorney General Jeff Sessions recuse himself from a Justice Department investigation into Russia’s election interference, Trump out of the blue published the Tweets at the ungodly hour of 3:35 a.m.
For his part, Rogers said it would violate the law for NSA to ask its British counterpart to spy on a U.S. citizen, much less the President of the United States. He said he knew of no such communication in the past nor would one ever be made.
Judge Andrew Napolitano, a Fox commentator who is known for trafficking in right-wing conspiracy theories, floated the scenario (Mar. 16) after U.S. intelligence agencies and the FBI failed to produce evidence to backup Trump’s assertion.
Napolitano claimed he was told by “three intelligence officials,” all anonymous, that the British GCHQ– the UK’s equivalent of the National Security Agency (NSA)– spied on Trump during the election at Obama’s request.
His unsubstantiated allegations were repeated by both Trump and White House spokesman Sean Spicer.
The hearing is ongoing. Updates will follow.