Trump Seeks Inquiry Into Unproved Allegations That Obama Tapped His Phones

[CaliCat 3,957]

At this rate, the current administration will end up surpassing SNL in comedic skits.

 

it's like watching car crash, in slow motion.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/05/us/politics/trump-seeks-inquiry-into-allegations-that-obama-tapped-his-phones.html

 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Trump, a day after leveling a widely disputed allegation that President Barack Obama had ordered the tapping of his phones, on Sunday demanded a congressional inquiry into whether Mr. Obama abused the power of federal law enforcement agencies before the 2016 presidential election.

In a statement from his spokesman, Mr. Trump called “reports” about the wiretapping “very troubling” and said that Congress should examine them as part of its investigations into Russia’s meddling in the election.

“President Donald J. Trump is requesting that as part of their investigation into Russian activity, the congressional intelligence committees exercise their oversight authority to determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016,” Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said in the statement.

Mr. Spicer, who repeated the entire statement in a series of Twitter messages, added that “neither the White House nor the president will comment further until such oversight is conducted.”

A spokesman for Mr. Obama and his former aides have called the accusation by Mr. Trump completely false, saying that Mr. Obama never ordered any wiretapping of a United States 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,” Kevin Lewis, Mr. Obama’s spokesman, said in a statement on Saturday.

Mr. Trump’s demand for a congressional investigation appears to be based, at least in part, on unproved claims by Breitbart News and conservative talk radio hosts that secret warrants were issued authorizing the tapping of the phones of Mr. Trump and his aides at Trump Tower in New York.

In a series of Twitter messages on Saturday, the president seemed to be convinced that those claims were true. In one post, Mr. Trump said, “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!”

On Sunday, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the deputy White House press secretary, said the president was determined to find out what had really happened, calling it potentially the “greatest abuse of power” that the country has ever seen.

“Look, I think he’s going off of information that he’s seen that has led him to believe that this is a very real potential,” Ms. Sanders said on ABC’s “This Week” program. “And if it is, this is the greatest overreach and the greatest abuse of power that I think we have ever seen and a huge attack on democracy itself. And the American people have a right to know if this took place.”

Senior law enforcement and intelligence officials who worked in the Obama administration have said there were no such secret intelligence warrants regarding Mr. Trump. Asked whether such a warrant existed, James R. Clapper Jr., a former director of national intelligence, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program, “Not to my knowledge, no.”

“There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time as a candidate or against his campaign,” Mr. Clapper added.

Mr. Trump’s demands for a congressional investigation were initially met with skepticism by lawmakers, including Republicans. Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, said he was “not sure what it is that he is talking about.”

“I’m not sure what the genesis of that statement was,” Mr. Rubio said.

Pressed to elaborate on “Meet the Press,” Mr. Rubio said, “I’m not going to be a part of a witch hunt, but I’m also not going to be a part of a cover-up.”

[Dashinka 25,898]

What's wrong with investigating?  Just because President Obama's surrogates have said it is false doesn't mean much as that administration has a long track record of lying to the public.  It should be fairly easy for an investigation and if Trump's allegations are indeed false, wouldn't the Democrats be in an even better position after an investigation, or are they afraid there might actually be something there?  I thought when the Flynn discussion was taking place there was evidence of the former administration attempting to get the FISA court to issue a warrant for this type of thing.  I heard it was rejected which is rare for that court, but hey, this is Obama, he all but weaponized the IRS against his political opponents.

[CaliCat 3,957]

26 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

What's wrong with investigating?  Just because President Obama's surrogates have said it is false doesn't mean much as that administration has a long track record of lying to the public.  It should be fairly easy for an investigation and if Trump's allegations are indeed false, wouldn't the Democrats be in an even better position after an investigation, or are they afraid there might actually be something there?  I thought when the Flynn discussion was taking place there was evidence of the former administration attempting to get the FISA court to issue a warrant for this type of thing.  I heard it was rejected which is rare for that court, but hey, this is Obama, he all but weaponized the IRS against his political opponents.

 

I couldn't agree with you more. There should be a full investigation, because if Obama tapped Trump's phones, the American people has the right to know what he learned. There might be some interesting conversations with Trump's sponsors in Russia. If Obama didn't tap the phones though, we all stand to win when so-called president Trump will have to apologize for making a fool of himself again.

 

it also opens the door for the American people to demand an investigation into the allegations of fraud involving the elections, and the role the Russians played in electing Trump.

 

It's a win-win-win.

Edited March 5, 2017 by CaliCat

[Dashinka 25,898]

A win-win?  So you don't think if the investigation revealed Obama spying on a campaign he wouldn't be subject to comparisons to Nixon?  This is especially true if there was spying and nothing of substance was revealed.  But of course the Democrats only have altruistic intentions.

 

Personally I think Obama and the Democrats do not want any investigation which is why they are so adamant nothing happened.  Heck, they (Obama) already said there was nothing to the purported Trump-Russian connection, or did we already forget that?

Edited March 5, 2017 by Bill & Katya

[CaliCat 3,957]

 

I think that if there was something irregular with the elections, the American people have the right to know. Trump himself said the elections were rigged, during his campaign. If the elections were rigged, we have the right to know, no matter who initiated it. 

 

 

[Dianalorena 1,158]

At this point I'm surprised if a week goes by and I don't hear about what crazy thing Trump tweeted/said now.

I can say I am *puts on sunglasses* tapped out! 

[Dashinka 25,898]

1 hour ago, CaliCat said:

 

I think that if there was something irregular with the elections, the American people have the right to know. Trump himself said the elections were rigged, during his campaign. If the elections were rigged, we have the right to know, no matter who initiated it. 

 

 

I agree,  it I see both sides.  You don't seem to want to even fathom that any investigation may show that it was actually the Obama administration that was trying to tamper with the election.  Didn't his DHS attempt to hack several states and their voting infrastructure?

[CaliCat 3,957]

20 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

I agree,  it I see both sides.  You don't seem to want to even fathom that any investigation may show that it was actually the Obama administration that was trying to tamper with the election.  Didn't his DHS attempt to hack several states and their voting infrastructure?

 

On the contrary. I think there should be an investigation into all allegations. At this point, the so-called president should also release his tax returns. Taking the 5th on the tax returns is not helping any.

 

I think the American people have the right to know whether Obama tapped Trump's phones, whether Putin helped elect Trump, and whether Trump is hiding something by not releasing his tax returns.

 

 

[Dashinka 25,898]

8 minutes ago, CaliCat said:

 

On the contrary. I think there should be an investigation into all allegations. At this point, the so-called president should also release his tax returns. Taking the 5th on the tax returns is not helping any.

 

I think the American people have the right to know whether Obama tapped Trump's phones, whether Putin helped elect Trump, and whether Trump is hiding something by not releasing his tax returns.

 

 

So we pretty much agree with the exception of the tax thing.  I really don't have any issues with someone that regularly gets audited to withhold their tax information.  The government has the records and the employees of the IRS I am sue have fully reviewed the returns.  If there was something untoward, I am imagine it would have come out.   

[ready4ONE 5,400]

23 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

So we pretty much agree with the exception of the tax thing.  I really don't have any issues with someone that regularly gets audited to withhold their tax information.  The government has the records and the employees of the IRS I am sue have fully reviewed the returns.  If there was something untoward, I am imagine it would have come out.   

Imagination is all it takes to keep supporting Donald Trump I'm afraid. Trump absolutely supported the need for every past candidate, and has been beyond slippery with his own, including lying about his plan to release them. It takes a lot of faith and a whole lot of imagination to keep pretending that there is nothing to see should they ever actually be released.

[eieio 1,594]

This explains all the leaks. Obama had a wiretap on Trump.  Obamagate will make watergate look like child's play.

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

5 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

A win-win?  So you don't think if the investigation revealed Obama spying on a campaign he wouldn't be subject to comparisons to Nixon?  This is especially true if there was spying and nothing of substance was revealed.  But of course the Democrats only have altruistic intentions.

 

Personally I think Obama and the Democrats do not want any investigation which is why they are so adamant nothing happened.  Heck, they (Obama) already said there was nothing to the purported Trump-Russian connection, or did we already forget that?

It was a protest over a film

You can keep your doctor 

I sent no classified emails

What does it matter anyway

I never said ISIS was the JV

Why would any one belive anything that admin@lazersedgeink.com said

[eieio 1,594]

5 minutes ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

It was a protest over a film

You can keep your doctor 

I sent no classified emails

What does it matter anyway

I never said ISIS was the JV

Why would any one belive anything that admin@lazersedgeink.com said

Remember when Obama was caught wiretapping Angela Merkel?  

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

2 minutes ago, eieio said:

Remember when Obama was caught wiretapping Angela Merkel?  

 

Obama’s biggest whoppers

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/01/19/obamas-biggest-whoppers/?utm_term=.92f4039c49d7

 

[eieio 1,594]

1 minute ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

 

Obama’s biggest whoppers

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/01/19/obamas-biggest-whoppers/?utm_term=.92f4039c49d7

 

Obama,Holder, Clinton, Lynch etc should all be brought to justice.