Politics

DOJ Says There's No Evidence Obama Wiretapped Trump Tower

President Donald Trump tweeted in March that former President Barack Obama's alleged wiretapping was "McCarthyism."

DOJ Says There's No Evidence Obama Wiretapped Trump Tower
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Article by Gabrielle Ware
SMS
September 3, 2017

The Department of Justice confirmed Friday there's no evidence former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower before the 2016 presidential election.

President Donald Trump accused Obama of wiretapping in March on Twitter, but provided no evidence for the accusation. He called the alleged act "McCarthysim" and Obama "a bad (or sick) guy."

In a court filing, the DOJ said it has no records related to that wiretapping. The order confirms what then-FBI Director James Comey told Congress in March.

He told the House intelligence committee: "The department has no information that supports those tweets."

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The motion follows a lawsuit filed against the DOJ by watchdog organization American Oversight, asking for information related to any wiretapping at Trump Tower.

The group's executive director called the DOJ's response "further proof that the president's words simply cannot be trusted." 

The motion comes as a different investigation continues: possible collusion with Russia by members of Trump's campaign in the 2016 election.

Trump also accused Obama of mishandling evidence of Russian interference. But he's expressed doubts about how involved Russia really was.

That's despite U.S. intelligence officials' determination in January that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered interference in the election.