Obama Staffers Decline to Rule Out Trump Tower Wiretap

Lifezette ^ | March 5, 2017 | Kathryn Blackhurst

[NYer]

Former White House speechwriter suggests president was under election-time surveillance

A spokesman for former President Obama responded to President Donald Trump’s accusations of wiretapping in a statement Saturday, saying that “neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen.”

The statement failed to indicate whether or not there could be any truth to Department of Justice or FBI wiretaps on communications to and from Trump Tower during the 2016 election — an omission that left the political world ablaze with speculation Saturday.

I'd be careful about reporting that Obama said there was no wiretapping. Statement just said that neither he nor the WH ordered it.— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) March 4, 2017

Trump first made waves in the early hours of the morning Saturday morning by firing off a series of tweets alleging his predecessor "had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower" during the presidential campaign.

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"Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" Trump tweeted. "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!"

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!" Trump added. "How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!"

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

In response to Trump's allegations, Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis released a statement Saturday saying, "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. As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false."

In addition, Ben Rhodes, a former foreign policy adviser to Obama, tweeted earlier in the day, "No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you."

No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you. https://t.co/lEVscjkzSw— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) March 4, 2017

Although Lewis claimed that neither Obama nor any White House officials under him ordered a wiretap on Trump, his statement neither explicitly confirmed nor denied whether or not Trump was under surveillance at any time.

"Obama spox: Trump's allegation that Obama had him wiretapped is 'simply false' (Doesn't deny wiretapping happened — denies Obama ordered it)," Bradd Jaffy, a senior news editor and writer for NBC News, tweeted Saturday.

Obama spox: Trump’s allegation that Obama had him wiretapped is “simply false”

(Doesn't deny wiretapping happened—denies Obama ordered it) pic.twitter.com/0YyxhL1Twd— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 4, 2017

Errol Barnett, a Washington correspondent for CBS News, also questioned the omission, tweeting, "Note that the statement does not deny a wiretapping of Trump tower, only that Pres. Obama didn't order it."

Note that the statement does not deny a wiretapping of Trump tower, only that Pres. Obama didn't order it.— errol barnett (@errolbarnett) March 4, 2017

Trump's Saturday morning tweets came several days after the president said during an interview on "Fox & Friends" that he believed Obama and his officials potentially were behind the string of protests that have unfurled across the country in the wake of Trump's inauguration, as well as the recent onslaught of leaks that have been dogging the administration.

“How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!”

The speculation was fueled further when a former speechwriter for Obama warned the media not to suggest the former president was denying the existence of election-time surveillance on Trump.

“I’d be careful about reporting that Obama said there was no wiretapping. Statement just said that neither he nor the WH ordered it,” tweeted former Obama communications staffer Jon Favreau Saturday.

I'd be careful about reporting that Obama said there was no wiretapping. Statement just said that neither he nor the WH ordered it.— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) March 4, 2017

Trump first made waves in the early hours of the morning Saturday morning by firing off a series of tweets alleging his predecessor "had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower" during the presidential campaign.

[seastay]

This is like the mafia , the godfather always knows nothing but runs everything

[gaijin]

It all fits:

midnight cash pallets in Tehran
Lear jet meetings
Surveilling the political opponent

IT ALL MAKES SENSE.

[LouisianaJoanof Arc]

This is like the mafia , the godfather always knows nothing but runs everything

*****

Good, maybe Barky will leave the country like Michael Corleone :)

[gaijin]

“There IS no sex” —Bill Clinton

[IrishRoverMountain]

[LucyT]

Lying by omission.

[gaijin]

“I never had sex with that woman, Monica Lewinky...”

TRUE statement, he was meant Hillary, as he was addressing MONICA over the TV airwaves.

NOT A LIE.

[Col Frank Slade]

Obama got Intel and law enforcement agencies to request and implement the wiretaps.

I would also highly suspect it was done with “unacknowledged acknowledgment” of the Clintons.

[Bodleian_Girl]

Hillary had a private “off the record” dinner meeting with Slate writer Frank Foer.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3531795/posts?page=56#56

[IrishRoverMountain]

[BipolarBob]

The staffers are using the “Sgt. Schultz” defense (I know nothing) to cover themselves.

[manc]

Like the White House never knew about the IRS targeting conservative groups, or fast and furious.

[RAldrich]

Time for one of those Hitler Utube skits. “This is how we destroy him - with the Russia conspiracy.” “Mein Fuhrer - we have bad news....”

[txrefugee]

Hillary talked about Trump’s server being under surveillance in a speech on Oct. 31…or was she just playing Trick or Treat?

[avital2]

it’s on her Twitter feed, clear as day 10/31/16

[right way right]

How these people think:
Trump is evil, therefore we reserve the right to wire tap him.

[Karl Spooner]

I remember he had added “not a single time”. Which then means more than once.

[Aria]

Do you have a copy of the tweet?

[wastoute]

Here is the mechanism to weed out the 0bama holdover heroes. “Did you know...?” If so, you are gone. If the answer is no and subsequently it can be shown you DID know, prison. Clean sweep of a NEW BROOM. Use it. Get rid of the traitors.