Jake Jones
Trump Tweets Top Dems Are Hypocrites On Russian Issue
President Trump tweeted old photos of Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi meeting with Russian presidents.
LEARN MOREPosted: 4:46 p.m. EST Mar 5, 2017
President Donald Trump wants Congress to look into whether the Obama administration tapped his phones leading up to the election.
Trump's claim, which he outlined in a string of tweets, is entirely unproven, and neither he nor the White House have offered any evidence to back it up.
Trump was likely referencing remarks by conservative radio host Mark Levin and a follow-up article from Breitbart News. Both cite a New York Times article from January that said U.S. intelligence agencies were investigating communication between Russian officials and Trump associates.
That article explained that counterintelligence agents will often monitor communication between American citizens and foreign governments. One line in the article reads, "One official said intelligence reports based on some of the wiretapped communications had been provided to the White House."
Levin claims the Obama administration wiretapped a server at Trump Tower while investigating a possible connection to a Russian bank. He accuses the administration of continuing to monitor that server despite not finding a connection.
Through a spokesman, former President Barack Obama denied even the concept of wiretapping a U.S. citizen or meddling in a Justice Department investigation.
"I have no insight into exactly what he's referring to," Sen. Marco Rubio said on "Meet the Press."
And some Republican lawmakers seem confused over the accusation.
"I've seen no evidence of the allegations we've seen in the media," Sen. Tom Cotton said on "Fox News Sunday."
Regardless, it appears the White House will push for an investigation. White House press secretary Sean Spicer tweeted that no further comments would be made until after an investigation.
