Trump has accused Barack Obama of "wire tapping" at Trump Tower before the US election
ADVERTISEMENTIn a flurry of early morning Tweets, President Trump has accused Barack Obama of “wire tapping” at Trump Tower before the US election.
The Tweets began at 6:00 am on Saturday morning from Trump’s so-called “Winter White House” in Florida.
One Tweet spells “tap” as “tapp”.
“How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!” he Tweeted.
It is unclear where the information came from. Trump does not back up the sensational claim with any concrete evidence.
In a statement, a spokesman for former President Obama denied that he had ordered wiretaps at Trump Tower.
“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,” said the statement.
The tirade of wire-tapping claims comes amid growing questions about what contact Trump and his team had with Russia in the lead up to the US elections.
Trump and the White House Press team have been struggling in their attempt to move attention away from the story, which is being covered by most of the mainstream media.
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'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
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
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
The newspaper USA Today described Trump’s actions as a “Tweetstorm”.
And just after the flurry of Tweets accusing Obama of wire-tapping, the US President turned his attention to a reality TV show that he used to host.
Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
Trump has also launched an unprecedented attack on media outlets, accusing them of “fake news” and slamming them as “enemies of the people”.
President Trump Accuses Obama Of 'Wire Tapping,' Provides No Evidence https://t.co/xldTdQdoj3
— NPR (@NPR) March 4, 2017
FBI and Congress investigations are underway into what contacts there were between some members of Trump’s campaign team and Russian officials during the election campaign.
Trump accuses Obama of ‘wire tapping’ Trump Tower phones https://t.co/ijwhc2LN0ppic.twitter.com/ejGTrZ0JhK
— POLITICO (@politico) March 4, 2017
Obama slapped sanctions on Russia and expelled Russian diplomats over allegations Moscow hacked political groups ahead of the US election.
Trump’s choice of national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign after revelations that he had discussed the sanctions with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office.
Other senior officials are also in the spotlight.
Sessions controversy heightens President Trump’s feeling of being under siege https://t.co/qNFDMG4pnh
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 4, 2017
The Justice Department says Attorney General Jeff Sessions will reply in writing to questions from Senate Democrats about his meetings with Russia’s ambassador last year.
Why would Jeff Sessions hide talks with Sergey Kislyak? https://t.co/BjoHETldwapic.twitter.com/o4b2zFHwL1
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) March 4, 2017
What was Mr Sessions, a veteran of 20 years in the Senate, thinking? https://t.co/IxHwsLS3iL
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) March 4, 2017
Jeff Sessions isn't the only Cabinet member who gave testimony that turned out not to be true https://t.co/JpvXMVhwT7pic.twitter.com/2rTDTwjqMV
— CNN (@CNN) March 4, 2017