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| White House calls for investigation into unsubstantiated claims Barack Obama ordered 'wiretap' on Donald Trump | White House calls for investigation into unsubstantiated claims Barack Obama ordered 'wiretap' on Donald Trump |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The White House has called for the US Congress to investigate President Donald Trump's claim Barack Obama ordered Trump Tower to be "wiretapped" during the US election. | |
| In a series of tweets, White House press secretary Sean Spicer called Mr Trump's allegation, for which he has provided no evidence, "very troubling". | |
| He said Mr Trump is requesting Congress examine whether "executive investigative powers were abused" during the 2016 election campaign, as part of an ongoing congressional probe into Russia's influence on the election. | |
| "Reports concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election are very troubling," Mr Spicer tweeted. | "Reports concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election are very troubling," Mr Spicer tweeted. |
| "President 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." | "President 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." |
| He added: "Neither the White House nor the President will comment further until such oversight is conducted." | He added: "Neither the White House nor the President will comment further until such oversight is conducted." |
| Over the weekend, Mr Trump called Mr Obama a "bad, or sick, guy" after accusing him of ordered his offices in New York be wiretapped during the US election. | Over the weekend, Mr Trump called Mr Obama a "bad, or sick, guy" after accusing him of ordered his offices in New York be wiretapped during the US election. |
| "Terrible!" the President tweeted over the weekend. "Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" | "Terrible!" the President tweeted over the weekend. "Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" |
| Soon after he added: "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! | Soon after he added: "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! |
| "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!" | "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!" |
| Despite the severity of his claim, Mr Trump did not provide any evidence Mr Obama was responsible for surveillance at his property and has not provided any since. | Despite the severity of his claim, Mr Trump did not provide any evidence Mr Obama was responsible for surveillance at his property and has not provided any since. |
| White House officials have reportedly said they have no idea where Mr Trump got his wiretapping claims from. | |
| Two former senior US officials dismissed Mr Trump's accusations out of hand as “just nonsense” and “just wrong”, with one telling CNN categorically: “This did not happen”. | |
| One White House official is reported to have “grimaced” when he woke up and saw the President’s fluffy of tweets, according to Politico. | |
| “It could have come from anywhere”, the official reportedly said, adding it was unlikely to have been an official source. | |
| Mr Obama's spokesman denied the allegations, saying any suggestion he or his staff "ordered surveillance on any US citizen" was false. | Mr Obama's spokesman denied the allegations, saying any suggestion he or his staff "ordered surveillance on any US citizen" was false. |
| Kevin Lewis added that a “cardinal rule” of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered in any Justice Department investigations, which are supposed to be conducted free of political influence. | Kevin Lewis added that a “cardinal rule” of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered in any Justice Department investigations, which are supposed to be conducted free of political influence. |
| “As part of that practice, neither Obama nor White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is false,” he said. | “As part of that practice, neither Obama nor White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is false,” he said. |
| The statement did not address the possibility that a wiretap of the Trump campaign could have been ordered by Justice Department officials. | The statement did not address the possibility that a wiretap of the Trump campaign could have been ordered by Justice Department officials. |
| Under US law, a federal court would have to have found probable cause the target of the surveillance is an “agent of a foreign power” in order to approve a warrant authorising electronic surveillance. | Under US law, a federal court would have to have found probable cause the target of the surveillance is an “agent of a foreign power” in order to approve a warrant authorising electronic surveillance. |