View source for Trump Tower wiretapping allegations

{{Short description|2017 US political controversy}}
{{protection padlock|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Donald Trump series|expanded=Campaigns}}
[[File:Trump-Tower-3.jpg|thumb|alt=View of the facade of Trump Tower.|[[Trump Tower]]|600x600px]]
On March 4, 2017, [[Donald Trump]] wrote a series of posts on [[Donald Trump on social media|his Twitter account]] that falsely accused former President [[Barack Obama]]'s administration of [[Telephone tapping|wiretapping]] his "wires" at [[Trump Tower]] late in the [[2016 United States presidential election|2016 presidential campaign]]. Trump called for a congressional investigation into the matter, and the Trump administration cited news reports to defend these accusations. His initial claims appeared to have been based on a ''[[Breitbart News]]'' article he had been given which repeated speculations made by [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theorist]] [[Louise Mensch]] or on a [[Bret Baier]] interview, both of which occurred the day prior to his Tweets.<!--References are in body of article.--> By June 2020, no evidence had surfaced to support Trump's claim, which had been refuted by the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] (DOJ).<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-06-23/trump-obamagate-birtherism-false-allegations |title=From birtherism to 'treason': Trump's false allegations against Obama |date=June 23, 2020 |website=Los Angeles Times |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200713040955/https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2020-06-23/trump-obamagate-birtherism-false-allegations |archive-date=July 13, 2020 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}</ref>
Representative [[Devin Nunes]], the then-chair of the [[United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence]], said he would investigate the claim. At a committee open hearing on March 20, 2017, [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] Director [[James Comey]] stated that neither the FBI nor the [[United States Department of Justice|Justice Department]] possessed any information to support Donald Trump's wiretapping allegations. Nunes stated on March 23 that the Trump administration's communications might have been legally monitored during the [[First presidential transition of Donald Trump|transition period]] as part of an "[[incidental collection]]".<ref name=":2" /> Intelligence Committee leaders later said they found no evidence to support the claim.<ref name="auto"/>
The DOJ declared in a September 1, 2017, court filing that "both the FBI and [[United States Department of Justice National Security Division|NSD]] confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by the March 4, 2017 tweets",<ref name="Justice Department"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Burleigh |first=Nina |url=http://www.newsweek.com/trump-russia-investigation-wiretap-fbi-obama-658888 |title=Trump's Claim That Obama Wiretapped His Campaign Is False: U.S. Department of Justice |work=[[Newsweek]]|date=September 2, 2017|access-date=September 19, 2017}}</ref> and confirmed this in another court filing of October 19, 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kalmbacher |first1=Colin |date=October 20, 2018 |url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/trump-admin-says-there-is-no-evidence-obama-wiretapped-trump/|title=Trump Admin Says There is No Evidence Obama Wiretapped Trump|website=Law & Crime |access-date=October 20, 2018}}</ref> On September 19, 2017 [[CNN]] reported that the FBI wiretapped [[Paul Manafort]] before and after the presidential election, extending into early 2017, although the report did not make clear whether Manafort was monitored during his tenure with the Trump campaign from March through August 2016. The CNN report also stated that the Manafort surveillance began after he became the subject of an FBI investigation in 2014. Some commentators cited this report as vindication for Trump's claims, while others noted that it did not confirm the accuracy of Trump's original tweets, and that it is still unknown whether any surveillance of Manafort took place at Trump Tower.<ref name="Manafort wiretap"/><ref name="Graham Not Vindicated"/> Manafort owned a condominium in Trump Tower from 2006 until its seizure by federal authorities following his 2018 convictions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/06/paul-manaforts-trump-tower-condo-the-latest-issue-for-prosecutors.html|title=Paul Manafort's Trump Tower condo becomes the latest sticking point for prosecutors|first=Christina|last=Wilkie|website=[[CNBC]] |date=November 6, 2017|access-date=October 28, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=October 5, 2018 |last1=Ingber |first1=Sasha |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/10/05/655007793/feds-move-to-take-paul-manaforts-trump-tower-condo|title=Feds Move To Take Paul Manafort's Trump Tower Condo|website=NPR |access-date=October 28, 2018}}</ref> Furthermore, the 2017 CNN report cited as partial vindication for Trump was refuted by a 2019 investigation by the DOJ's [[United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General|Inspector General]], which stated: "We are aware of no information indicating that the [[Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)|Crossfire Hurricane]] team requested or seriously considered FISA surveillance of Manafort or [[Michael Flynn|Flynn]]."<ref name="OIG_12/9/2019">{{cite web|author=Office of the Inspector General U.S. Department of Justice|authorlink=United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General|url=https://www.justice.gov/storage/120919-examination.pdf|title=Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI's Crossfire Hurricane Investigation|date=December 9, 2019|access-date=January 13, 2022}}</ref>{{rp|357}}
In a 2019 call in to [[Sean Hannity|Sean Hannity's]] show, Trump said that his original allegation of "wires tapped" was not literal, and that he really meant: "surveillance, spying you can sort of say whatever you want". Trump also said that his allegations were made "just on a little bit of a hunch and a little bit of wisdom maybe", and that he thought his allegations were "pretty insignificant" when he made them.<ref name=HillHunch/>
== Origin ==
On November 7, 2016, [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theorist]] [[Louise Mensch]] reported<ref name="HeatStreet">{{cite web |url=https://heatst.com/world/exclusive-fbi-granted-fisa-warrant-covering-trump-camps-ties-to-russia/ |title=EXCLUSIVE: FBI 'Granted FISA Warrant' Covering Trump Camp's Ties To Russia |first1=Louise |last1=Mensch |website=HeatStreet |access-date=September 20, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108195626/https://heatst.com/world/exclusive-fbi-granted-fisa-warrant-covering-trump-camps-ties-to-russia/ |archive-date=November 8, 2016  }}</ref> in the right-leaning<ref name="HtStreetcopypasta">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/03/05/trumps-evidence-for-obama-wiretap-claims-relies-on-sketchy-anonymously-sourced-reports/|title=Trump's 'evidence' for Obama wiretap claims relies on sketchy, anonymously sourced reports|date=March 5, 2017|last1=Kessler|first1=Glenn|access-date=March 8, 2017|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170305180538/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2017/03/05/trumps-evidence-for-obama-wiretap-claims-relies-on-sketchy-anonymously-sourced-reports/ |archive-date=March 5, 2017 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Heat Street]]'', that the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) had twice sought [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act]] (FISA) warrants in connection with its investigation of the myriad<ref name="Savage_Goldman_5/17/2023">{{cite news |last1=Savage |first1=Charlie | last2=Goldman | first2=Adam |title=After Years of Political Hype, the Durham Inquiry Failed to Deliver - A dysfunctional investigation led by a Trump-era special counsel illustrates a dilemma about prosecutorial independence and accountability in politically sensitive matters.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/us/politics/durham-report-trump-russia.html |date=May 17, 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20230517075657/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/us/politics/durham-report-trump-russia.html |archivedate=May 17, 2023 |accessdate=May 17, 2023 }}</ref> [[links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies]].  According to Mensch, the first request for a warrant which "named Trump" was denied in June 2016 and, a second, more "narrowly drawn" request was granted in October 2016. Mensch wrote that this warrant gave "counter-intelligence permission to examine the activities of 'U.S. persons' in Donald Trump's campaign with ties to Russia", and to "look at the full content of emails and other related documents that may concern US persons". Mensch further claimed that the October warrant was granted in "connection with the investigation of suspected activity between the server [in Trump Tower] and two banks, SVB Bank and Alfa Bank", and that "it is thought in the intelligence community that the warrant covers any 'US person' connected to this investigation, and thus covers Donald Trump and at least three further men". She said her story was based on two anonymous "sources with links to the counter-intelligence community".<ref name="HeatStreet" /> Mensch's original article only discussed e-mail exchanges and did not use the term "wiretap".<ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" />
On January 19, 2017, ''[[The New York Times]]'' published an article which used two headlines,<ref name="McCarthy_3/9/2017"/> with the print headline reading "Wiretapped Data Used in Inquiry of Trump Aides"<ref name="Trump Russia Investigation" />{{efn|The article states: "A version of this article appears in print on January 20, 2017, on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: 'Wiretapped Data Used in Inquiry of Trump Aides.'"<ref name="Trump Russia Investigation">{{cite news|author1=Michael S. Schmidt|author2=Matthew Rosenberg|author3=Adam Goldman|author4=Matt Apuzzo|title=Intercepted Russian Communications Part of Inquiry Into Trump Associates|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/us/politics/trump-russia-associates-investigation.html|access-date=March 13, 2017|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 19, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180109200947/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/us/politics/trump-russia-associates-investigation.html |archive-date=January 9, 2018 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}</ref>}}<ref name="PolitiFact NY Times">{{cite web |last=Carroll |first=Lauren |url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/mar/16/donald-trump/donald-trump-says-he-learned-obama-tapped-his-phon/ |title=Trump says his Obama wiretap claim came from New York Times |date=March 16, 2017 |work=PolitiFact |access-date=March 18, 2017 |quote=Trump took an article about legitimate intelligence investigations and completely distorted it. We rate his claim False}}</ref> and the article published online with the title "Intercepted Russian Communications Part of Inquiry Into Trump Associates".<ref name="McCarthy_3/9/2017">{{cite web |author-link=Andrew C. McCarthy|last=McCarthy |first=Andrew C. |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/445649/mccarthy-error-apologize-nyt-headline-not-changed |title=My Error: The New York Times Did Not Change Its Headline – There Were Two Headlines from the Start |date=March 9, 2017 |work=National Review |access-date=March 23, 2017}}</ref> The article stated that "American law enforcement and intelligence agencies are examining intercepted [Russian] communications and financial transactions as part of a broad investigation into possible links between Russian officials and associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump, including his former campaign chairman [[Paul Manafort]]."<ref name="McCarthy_3/9/2017"/> The article also noted the uncertainty regarding the scope of the communications, stating: "It is not clear whether the intercepted [Russian] communications had anything to do with Mr. Trump's campaign, or Mr. Trump himself."<ref name="Trump Russia Investigation" />
On March 3, ''[[Breitbart News]]'', a [[far-right]]<!--This may *not* be changed without getting consensus on the Breitbart News talk page. Any attempts may result in an immediate block. See [[Talk:Breitbart News/Archive 3#Survey: Should Breitbart be described as far-right in the lead?]]--><ref name="FarRight">
*{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/is-trumps-new-chief-strategist-a-racist-critics-say-so/2016/11/14/b72e2ab0-aa9d-11e6-a31b-4b6397e625d0_story.html | title=Is Trump's new chief strategist a racist? Critics say so. | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=November 14, 2016 | access-date=December 3, 2016 | last=Weigel | first=David|author-link=David Weigel}}
*{{cite web | url=http://www.newsweek.com/barack-obama-donald-trump-white-nationalism-stephen-bannon-521680 | title=President Barack Obama Warns Against 'Us and Them' Nationalism | work=[[Newsweek]] | date=November 16, 2016 | access-date=December 3, 2016 | last=Gidda | first=Mirren}}
*{{cite web | url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/Backchannels/2015/0620/Beyond-Rhodesia-Dylann-Roof-s-manifesto-and-the-website-that-radicalized-him | title=Beyond Rhodesia, Dylann Roof's manifesto and the website that radicalized him | work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]] | date=June 20, 2015 | access-date=December 3, 2016 | last=Murphy | first=Dan}}
*{{cite web | url=https://apnews.com/6a4338387e6847eeb6f59db3b8d1fb0a/donald-trumps-cabinet-picks-so-far | title=Donald Trump's Cabinet picks, so far | publisher=[[Associated Press]] | date=November 19, 2016 | access-date=May 28, 2017}}
*{{cite web | url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/11/24/world/politics-diplomacy-world/appnexus-bans-breitbart-ad-exchange-citing-hate-speech/ | title=AppNexus bans Breitbart from ad exchange, citing hate speech | publisher=[[The Japan Times]] | date=November 24, 2016 | access-date=December 3, 2016}}
*{{cite web | url=http://www.smh.com.au/world/us-election/hate-crimes-surge-in-donald-trumps-america-20161117-gsrjpx | title=Make America hate again: how Donald Trump's victory has emboldened bigotry | publisher=[[Sydney Morning Herald]] | date=November 19, 2016 | access-date=December 3, 2016 | last=McGeough | first=Paul}}</ref> website known to publish [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]],<ref name="ConspiracyTheories">
*{{Cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/trailguide/la-na-trailguide-updates-what-is-the-alt-right-a-refresher-1479169663-htmlstory.html|title=What is the alt-right? A refresher course on Steve Bannon's fringe brand of conservatism|author=Jessica Roy|date=November 14, 2016|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|quote=Under Bannon's leadership, Breitbart published ... articles regurgitating conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton and her staff.}}
*{{Cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/trump-offers-former-military-intelligence-chief-michael-flynn-post-national-security-advisor/|title=Trump picks national security adviser|author1=Ken Thomas|author2=Catherine Lucey|author3=Julie Pace|date=November 17, 2016|agency=Associated Press|quote=Bannon's news website has peddled conspiracy theories}}
*{{Cite news|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/analysis-breitbart-s-steve-bannon-leads-alt-right-white-house-n683316|title=Analysis: Breitbart's Steve Bannon leads the 'alt right' to the White House|author=Benjy Sarlin|date=November 14, 2016|publisher=NBC News|language=en|quote=[A] major question moving forward will be how the Breitbart wing gets along with more traditional Republican leaders uncomfortable with its emphasis on race-baiting headlines and conspiracy theories.}}
*{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/22/politics/hillary-clinton-health-conspiracy-theory-explained/index.html|title=The new birthers: Debunking the Hillary Clinton health conspiracy|author=Gregory Krieg|date=August 22, 2016|publisher=CNN|quote=Breitbart News ... has also been among the most consistent and highly trafficked peddlers of the conspiracy theories surrounding Clinton's health.}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/scientific-papers-global-warming-myth/|title=Did 58 Scientific Papers Published in 2017 Say Global Warming is a Myth?|website=[[Snopes.com]]|date=June 8, 2017 |access-date=July 14, 2017}}
</ref><ref name="ISISConspiracyTheory">
*{{Cite web|url=http://www.factcheck.org/2016/06/trumps-isis-conspiracy-theory/|title=Trump's ISIS Conspiracy Theory|author=Lori Robertson|date=June 16, 2016|website=FactCheck.org|publisher=[[Annenberg Public Policy Center]] of the [[University of Pennsylvania]]|language=en-US|quote=Donald Trump said a report on a conservative news site proved he was 'right' in suggesting President Obama supported terrorists. It doesn't. ... It's the kind of claim that we'd debunk in an article on viral conspiracy theories.}}
*{{Cite news|url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jun/15/donald-trump/donald-trump-suggests-barack-obama-supported-isis-/|title=Donald Trump suggests Barack Obama supported ISIS, but that's a conspiracy theory|author=Louis Jacobson|date=June 15, 2016|newspaper=PolitiFact|language=en}}</ref> ran an article by [[Joel Pollak]] headlined "[[Mark Levin]] to Congress: Investigate Obama's 'Silent Coup' vs. Trump." On the previous day, right-wing radio personality Mark Levin alleged that Obama and his allies were conducting a "silent coup" against Trump, and asked: "How many phone calls of Donald Trump, if any, have been intercepted by the administration and recorded by the Obama administration?"<ref name=":0"/><ref name=":4"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Hawkins |first=Derek |date=March 6, 2017 |title=Mark Levin has warned before of Obama's 'silent coup.' Now he has a follower in the Oval Office. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/03/06/mark-levin-has-warned-before-of-obamas-silent-coup-now-he-has-a-follower-in-the-oval-office/ |url-status=live |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220630222242/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/03/06/mark-levin-has-warned-before-of-obamas-silent-coup-now-he-has-a-follower-in-the-oval-office/ |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |access-date=June 30, 2022 |quote=On Thursday, Levin returned to the 'silent coup' theme during his evening show}}</ref> The claims were labeled conspiracy theories by CNN and the ''Los Angeles Times''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/03/06/media/mark-levin-joel-pollak-breitbart-trump-obama/index.html|title=Trump's wiretap claim: How a conspiracy theory got its start |last=Stelter |first=Brian |date=March 6, 2017 |website=CNNMoney |access-date=March 22, 2017}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-trump-wiretap-conspiracy-20170322-story.html |title=How the phony conspiracy theory over wiretapping caught fire |last1=Finnegan |first1=Michael |date=March 22, 2017 |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=April 4, 2017 |last2=Barabak |first2=Mark Z. |language=en-US |issn=0458-3035}}</ref> The ''Breitbart'' article alleged that "the Obama administration is now monitoring an opposing presidential campaign using the high-tech surveillance powers of the federal intelligence services".<ref name=":0" /> Citing Mensch's November article, ''Breitbart'' claimed the existence of a June FISA request "to monitor communications involving Donald Trump and several advisers", and of an October FISA warrant "focused on a computer server in Trump Tower". Breitbart cited a January 11 ''[[National Review]]'' article,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/article/443768/obama-fisa-trump-wiretap|title=FISA and the Trump Team|author-link=Andrew C. McCarthy|last=McCarthy|first=Andrew C.|date=January 11, 2017|work=National Review|access-date=March 22, 2017|language=en}}</ref> which speculated about alleged "wiretaps" of the Trump campaign and their legal ramifications. Like the ''Breitbart'' article,<ref name=":3" /> the ''National Review'' article had also extensively relied on Mensch's piece.<ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" />
Like Mensch, ''McClatchy'', BBC, and ''The Guardian'' reported on the existence of an October FISA warrant. However, these accounts differed substantially from Mensch's story with respect to the scope and purpose of the warrant. They alleged that the October warrant authorized to monitor financial transactions related to Russia — not communications.<ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" /> Unlike the derivative accounts in ''National Review'' and ''Breitbart'',<ref name=":3" /><ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" /> Mensch's original article did not use the term "wiretap" (implying voice telephone calls), but only made claims about e-mail exchanged with [[Silicon Valley Bank|SVB Bank]] and the Russian [[Alfa-Bank]].<ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" /> While Mensch did claim the e-mail server was located in Trump Tower, it was likely located in [[Lititz, Pennsylvania]], as Trump outsourced e-mail to Listrak, which operates out of a [[data center]] there.<ref name=Filkins2018.10.15>{{cite web |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/15/was-there-a-connection-between-a-russian-bank-and-the-trump-campaign |date=October 8, 2018 |title=Was There a Connection Between a Russian Bank and the Trump Campaign? A team of computer scientists sifted through records of unusual Web traffic in search of answers |author=Dexter Filkins |author-link=Dexter Filkins |website=NewYorker.com |access-date=October 12, 2018 }}</ref> Furthermore, ''The New York Times'' reported on October 31 that the FBI had concluded that the server traffic could have been explained by marketing emails or spam. Contrary to ''The Times'', Mensch claimed that the server's activity remained suspicious enough to lead the FBI to request the FISA warrant.<ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" /><ref name="British Lawmaker">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/the-former-british-lawmaker-at-the-heart-of-the-trump-wiretap-allegations/2017/03/06/9d8c6b94-027c-11e7-9d14-9724d48f5666_story.html|title=This former British lawmaker is at the heart of the Trump wiretap allegations|last=Adam|first=Karla|date=March 6, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=March 11, 2017| archive-url=https://archive.today/20170306222728/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/the-former-british-lawmaker-at-the-heart-of-the-trump-wiretap-allegations/2017/03/06/9d8c6b94-027c-11e7-9d14-9724d48f5666_story.html |archive-date=March 6, 2017 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}</ref>
On the March 3 [[Special Report (Fox News program)|''Special Report'']] program, host Brett Baier cited an article from the now-defunct [[Circa News|Circa]] online newspaper, mentioning the same allegations as Mensch, ''McClatchy'', BBC, and ''The Guardian'', and asked Ryan: "Have you heard that?" Ryan responded: "Well, again, like I said, none of us in Congress or anybody I know in Congress has been presented with anything to the contrary of what you just said." However, there may have been a misunderstanding between Baier and Ryan throughout the interview, with Baier asking about undue surveillance of the Trump campaign, and Ryan responding that intelligence gathering had produced no evidence of collusion between Russia and Trump. Ryan stated, in response to a question about Trump's March 15 comments,  that he had been unaware of any wiretapping allegations prior to his interview with Baier, and that "the intelligence committees&nbsp;... have determined&nbsp;... that no such wiretap existed."<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Allan |date=March 16, 2017 |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-wiretap-paul-ryan-bret-baier-fox-news-2017-3 |title=Trump suggests little-noticed interview between Fox News host and Paul Ryan helped fuel his explosive wiretap claims |work=Business Insider |access-date=March 21, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-03-16/donald-trump-tells-tucker-carlson-source-of-wiretapping-claim-was-new-york-times-and-fox-news|title=Trump Says NYT, Fox News Sources for Wiretapping Claims|website=U.S. News & World Report|publisher=US News|last1=Levy|first1=Gabrielle|access-date=March 17, 2017}}</ref>
The ''Breitbart'' article was circulated among White House staffers, and was reportedly given to Trump along with his morning newspapers and printouts.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" /><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Lemire |first1=Jonathan | date=March 9, 2017 |url=https://apnews.com/eae4bee334fb4e358bfb1217d3e0ee74/Media-the-enemy?-Trump-is-sure-an-insatiable-consumer|title=Media the enemy? Trump sure is an insatiable consumer|website=AP News |access-date=March 22, 2017}}</ref> It was also reported that Trump watched the Bret Baier interview immediately before his tweets.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wolff |first=Michael  |date=January 5, 2018 |title=Fire and Fury |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E3M-DwAAQBAJ |publisher=Henry Holt and Company |isbn=9780815730644}}</ref>
== Accusation ==
=== Initial claim ===
{{Tweet|name=Donald J. Trump|username=realDonaldTrump |image=Donald Trump official portrait (cropped 2).jpg|date=March 4, 2017|text=Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!|ID=837989835818287106|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501013517/https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/837989835818287106|archive-date=May 1, 2017}}
In a succession of tweets on March 4, 2017,{{efn|name=original-tweets|The original tweets, in chronological order, are:
* {{Cite tweet|user=realDonaldTrump|number=837989835818287106|title=Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501013517/https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/837989835818287106 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 1, 2017 |date=March 4, 2017|access-date=March 21, 2017}}
* {{Cite tweet|user=realDonaldTrump|number=837993273679560704|title=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!|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501013523/https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/837993273679560704 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 1, 2017 |date=March 4, 2017|access-date=March 21, 2017}}
* {{Cite tweet|user=realDonaldTrump|number=837994257566863360|title=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!|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501013601/https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/837994257566863360 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 1, 2017 |date=March 4, 2017|access-date=March 21, 2017}}
* {{Cite tweet|user=realDonaldTrump|number=837996746236182529|title=How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!"|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501013603/https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/837996746236182529 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 1, 2017 |date=March 4, 2017|access-date=March 21, 2017}}
}} Trump stated he had "just found out" that former president [[Barack Obama]] had wiretapped his phones at [[Trump Tower]] "just before the victory".<ref name="WaPost no evidence">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/03/04/trump-accuses-obama-of-nixonwatergate-plot-to-wire-tap-trump-tower/ |title=Trump, citing no evidence, accuses Obama of 'Nixon/Watergate' plot to wiretap Trump Tower |date=March 4, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post |author1=Philip Rucker |author2=Ellen Nakashima |author3=Robert Costa |access-date=March 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20180201235016/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/03/04/trump-accuses-obama-of-nixonwatergate-plot-to-wire-tap-trump-tower/ |archive-date=February 1, 2018 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> He did not say where he had obtained the information and offered no evidence to support it.<ref name="Politifact no evidence">{{Cite journal |title=Why the White House defense of Trump wiretap accusation is misleading |author=Allison Graves |date=March 5, 2017 |journal=Politifact |url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/mar/05/sarah-huckabee-sanders/why-white-houses-defense-trump-accusing-obama-wire/ }}</ref> Trump compared the alleged intrusion to [[McCarthyism]] and [[Watergate]]. Anonymous White House officials told ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that Trump did not appear to coordinate his comments with other White House officials.<ref name="WaPost no evidence" />
=== Followup ===
[[Fact-checking|Fact-checkers]] immediately requested supporting information for these claims from the White House communications team. In response to the requests from ''The Washington Post'', ''Politifact'' and ''FactCheck.org'', the White House provided five items:<ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" /><ref name="PolitiFact NY Times" /><ref name="Factcheck.org">{{cite web |last=Kiely |first=Eugene |url=https://www.factcheck.org/2017/03/examining-trumps-wiretap-claim/ |title=Examining Trump's Wiretap Claims |date=March 6, 2017 |work=FactCheck.org |access-date=July 6, 2022}}</ref>
* An article from the BBC, titled "Trump 'compromising' claims: How and why did we get here?"
* An article from Heat Street, titled "EXCLUSIVE: FBI 'Granted FISA Warrant' Covering Trump Camp's Ties To Russia"
* An article from National Review, titled "FISA and the Trump Team"
* A transcript of Bret Baier interviewing Paul Ryan on Fox the previous night, and
* An article from The New York Times, titled "Wiretapped Data Used in Inquiry of Trump Aides"
None of these articles corroborated the specific allegations made in the tweets, but rather contained terms and elements of stories which were mingled together and distorted. All of the listed fact-checkers rated Trump's claims as false.<ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" /><ref name="PolitiFact NY Times" /><ref name="Factcheck.org" />
In the first official statement issued after the tweets, made through press secretary [[Sean Spicer]] on March 5, Trump asked congressional intelligence committees to "determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016" as part of their oversight authority of the Department of Justice and as part of the ongoing investigation into [[Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections|Russian interference in the election]].<ref name="Comey refute">{{cite news |author1=Michael S. Schmidt |author2=Michael D. Shear |title=Comey Asks Justice Dept. to Reject Trump's Wiretapping Claim |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/05/us/politics/trump-seeks-inquiry-into-allegations-that-obama-tapped-his-phones.html |access-date=March 8, 2017|work=The New York Times |date=March 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20171207054042/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/05/us/politics/trump-seeks-inquiry-into-allegations-that-obama-tapped-his-phones.html |archive-date=December 7, 2017 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In response, multiple congressional committees agreed to investigate. None found any evidence supporting the wiretapping claim, and they reported their findings in the weeks following the tweets.<ref name="PBS investigate">{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |title=Congress to investigate Trump's wiretapping claim|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/congress-investigate-trumps-wiretapping-claim/ |work=PBS Newshour |date=March 6, 2017 |access-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Cnn graham">{{cite news|first=Manu|last=Raju|title=Graham ready to subpoena for Trump wiretap information|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/08/politics/graham-wiretap-russia-subpoena/index.html|work=CNN|date=March 9, 2017}}</ref><ref name="nunesrefute">{{Cite news |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-wiretapped-trump-tower-evidence-intelligence-committee-2017-3 |title='Clearly the president is wrong': House intel committee says it's seen 'no evidence' that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower |last=Bertrand |first=Natasha |date=March 15, 2017 |work=Business Insider |access-date=March 15, 2017 |language=en}}</ref>
In interviews on March 5 and 6, Deputy Press Secretary [[Sarah Huckabee Sanders]] attempted to recast the president's words with a softer tone.<ref name="Clapper Meet the Press" /> On ''[[This Week (American TV program)|This Week]]'' she said "I think there certainly could have been (a FISA warrant). And it sounds like there's something that we should look into and verify."<ref name="Raddatz Earnest 1" /> On Monday morning's ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' show, she said "the president firmly believes that the Obama administration may have tapped into the phones at Trump Tower, this is something that we should look into. We'd like to know for sure."<ref name="Clapper Meet the Press" />
Later on March 6, White House counselor [[Kellyanne Conway]] told [[Fox News]]'s ''[[Fox & Friends]]'' that the president had "information and intelligence that the rest of us do not", although when asked about this, Press Secretary Spicer equivocated.<ref name="Clapper Meet the Press">{{cite news |author1=Ashley Parker |author2=Jenna Johnson |title=White House aides struggle to defend Trump wiretap claims |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-aides-contort-themselves-trying-to-defend-trump-wiretap-claims/2017/03/06/fef6e368-02aa-11e7-ad5b-d22680e18d10_story.html |access-date=March 8, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170307004736/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-aides-contort-themselves-trying-to-defend-trump-wiretap-claims/2017/03/06/fef6e368-02aa-11e7-ad5b-d22680e18d10_story.html |archive-date=March 7, 2017 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Spicer spoke to reporters that day from the White House briefing room with an audio-only feed for the public, and was peppered with questions about the tweets.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Michael M. |last1=Grynbaum |title=Sean Spicer Meets the Press. No Cameras Allowed, Again. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/06/business/sean-spicer-press-briefing-off-camera.html |access-date=July 13, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=March 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170411231304/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/06/business/sean-spicer-press-briefing-off-camera.html?_r=0 |archive-date=April 11, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Spicer referred to his weekend statement requesting congressional investigation and did not to add clarity or context to Trump's tweets.<ref name="Clapper Meet the Press" /> Referring to Conway's claim, Spicer said "I can't specifically respond to you in terms of what she was referring to, whether she was referring to the exact nature of this charge or whether generally speaking he is given information."
Trump lowered his profile in the week following the tweets, limiting reporter access in contrast to the first six weeks of his administration.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ballhaus |first=Rebecca |date=March 10, 2017 |title=Trump Lowers Profile After Obama Wiretap Accusation |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-lowers-profile-after-obama-wiretap-accusation-1489141811 |work=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=July 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170310145559/https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-lowers-profile-after-obama-wiretap-accusation-1489141811 |url-status=live |archive-date=March 10, 2017 |url-access=subscription |quote=The official praised the president's record of accessibility and said it was not fair to single out two days out of the past six weeks.}}</ref>
== Extension of claim ==
{{see also|Links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies#2015-2016 foreign surveillance}}
During an interview on March 12, 2017, Kellyanne Conway was asked by [[The Record (Bergen County)|''The Record'']]'s [[Mike Kelly (journalist)|Mike Kelly]], "do you know whether Trump Tower was wiretapped?" She answered "what I can say is there are many ways to surveil each other. You can surveil someone through their phones, certainly through their television sets — any number of different ways, microwaves that turn into cameras."<ref name=MediaMadness /><ref>{{Cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Mike |date=March 12, 2017 |url=http://www.northjersey.com/story/news/columnists/mike-kelly/2017/03/12/mike-kelly-conway-suggests-even-wider-surveillance-trump-campaign/99060910/|title=Kellyanne Conway alludes to even wider surveillance of Trump campaign|work=North Jersey|access-date=March 13, 2017|language=en}}</ref> However, Conway's comments resulted in a headline which read "Kellyanne Conway Alludes to Even Wider Surveillance of Trump Campaign" which directly led to question from CNN's [[New Day (TV program)|New Day]] anchor Chris Cuomo. On that show, she attempted to walk back her microwave quip, stating that "I'm not [[Inspector Gadget#Inspector Gadget|Inspector Gadget]], I don't believe that people are using the microwave to spy on the Trump campaign."<ref name="microwaves">{{Cite news |last1=Berger |first1=Arielle |date=March 13, 2017 |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/kellyanne-conway-dont-believe-microwaves-used-spy-trump-campaign-surveillance-inspector-gadget-2017-3|title='I'm not Inspector Gadget': Kellyanne Conway refutes claims that she suggested Trump's team may have been spied on with microwaves |work=Business Insider |access-date=March 14, 2017 |language=en}}</ref> She faced similar questioning on ''[[Today (American TV program)|Today]]'' and ''[[Good Morning America]]'' but ended her media tour roundly mocked as "the microwave lady".<ref name=MediaMadness />
At a March 13 press briefing, Spicer claimed that Trump was referring to general surveillance rather than direct wiretapping.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/spicer-trump-talking-general-surveillance-wiretapping-tweets/story?id=46101282|title=Trump was talking about general surveillance in wiretapping claims, Spicer says|last=Keneally|first=Meghan|date=March 13, 2017|publisher=ABC News|access-date=March 14, 2017}}</ref> Spicer also said that the White House believed that the [[Obama administration]] was responsible for the surveillance, not Obama himself, said Trump's tweet which specifically named the former president.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Relman |first1=Eliza |date=March 13, 2017 |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/sean-spicer-trump-doesnt-really-think-obama-ordered-wiretap-2017-3 |title=Sean Spicer says Trump 'doesn't really think' Obama 'personally' wiretapped Trump |work=Business Insider |access-date=March 14, 2017}}</ref>
Trump spoke on his own behalf regarding the tweets for the first time in a March 15 interview with [[Tucker Carlson]] on Fox News. He cited the March 3 interview with [[Paul Ryan]] on an episode of ''[[Special Report (Fox News program)|Special Report with Bret Baier]]'' on Fox News and the January 19 ''The New York Times'' article as the origin of his allegations.<ref name=":1" />
The White House press briefing on March 16 became very contentious when Spicer was confronted by the press corps with the bipartisan doubts of congressional leaders about Trump's wiretap claims.<ref name="spicerMar16">{{cite news |last=Blake |first=Aaron |date=March 16, 2017 |title=Sean Spicer's angry, lonely defense of Trump's wiretapping claim, annotated |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/03/16/sean-spicers-angry-lonely-defense-of-trumps-wiretapping-claim-annotated/ |url-status=live |newspaper=The Washington Post |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170317050654/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/03/16/sean-spicers-angry-lonely-defense-of-trumps-wiretapping-claim-annotated/ |archive-date=March 17, 2017 |access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref> The back-and-forth between Spicer and reporters lasted almost ten minutes and was marked by Spicer repeating news reports about possible [[GCHQ]] involvement in spying on Trump, further inflaming the media firestorm.<ref name="spicerMar16" />
In an April 2 interview with the UK-based ''[[Financial Times]]'', Trump expressed very little regret for his tweets, saying "I don't regret anything, because there is nothing you can do about it. You know if you issue hundreds of tweets, and every once in a while you have a clinker, that's not so bad. Now my last tweet, you know the one that you are talking about perhaps, was the one about being in quotes wire tapped, meaning surveilled. Guess what, it is turning out to be true."<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=April 2, 2017 |title=Donald Trump in his own words |url=https://www.ft.com/content/9ae777ea-17ac-11e7-a53d-df09f373be87 |work=Financial Times |access-date=July 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170404224452/https://www.ft.com/content/9ae777ea-17ac-11e7-a53d-df09f373be87 |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> This was echoed in a much later 2019 interview with C-SPAN, when asked whether he regretted any of his tweets, Trump said "Not much, honestly not much...I sent the one about the wiretapping...and that turned out to be true."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/455429-trump-says-some-of-his-retweets-can-be-a-problem/|title=Trump says some of his retweets can be a 'problem'|first=John|last=Bowden|date=July 30, 2019|website=TheHill}}</ref> On April 25, 2019, when calling in to [[Sean Hannity|Sean Hannity's]] Fox news show, Trump said that his original allegation of "wires tapped" was not literal as he had used quotation marks, saying that he really meant: "surveillance, spying you can sort of say whatever you want". Trump also said that his allegations were made "just on a little bit of a hunch and a little bit of wisdom maybe". Trump elaborated that he thought his allegations were "pretty insignificant" when he made them.<ref name=HillHunch>{{cite web |date=April 25, 2019 |last1=Samuels |first1=Brett |title=Trump: Claim of Obama wiretapping based 'on a little bit of a hunch' |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/440778-trump-says-2017-claim-of-obama-wiretapping-was-based-on-a-little-bit/ |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |access-date=April 27, 2019}}</ref>
=== Allegation of British involvement ===
{{Quote box
| quote = If the telephone rang in GCHQ from the White House, that in itself would be unheard of. The director [GCHQ's chief] would then ring his US counterpart, the director of the NSA—there's a hotline on his desk—to ask if it was a hoax. The next person he would ring would be the [UK] foreign secretary to say we've had this amazing request. Nothing would happen without a warrant from the top of government and that would just never be granted in these circumstances.
| author =-- David Omand (former GCHQ director)
| source =''Financial Times''<ref name=":5" />
| quoted = 1
| align = right
| width = 300px
}}
In the summer of 2016,<ref name="Harding_4/13/2017" /> long before the first public statement from the Obama Administration on October 7, 2016, about Russian interference,<ref name="Mayer_3/5/2018" /> "[[Robert Hannigan]], then the head of the U.K.'s intelligence service the G.C.H.Q., had recently flown to Washington and briefed the C.I.A.'s director, John Brennan, on a stream of illicit communications between Trump's team and Moscow that had been intercepted. (The content of these intercepts has not become public.)"<ref name="Mayer_3/5/2018">{{cite magazine |last1=Mayer |first1=Jane |date=March 5, 2018 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/12/christopher-steele-the-man-behind-the-trump-dossier |title=Christopher Steele, the Man Behind the Trump Dossier |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |access-date=October 20, 2018}}</ref> "The matter was deemed so sensitive it was handled at 'director level'."<ref name="Harding_4/13/2017" />
This information became public on April 13, 2017, when ''The Guardian'' reported that GCHQ and other European and Australian intelligence agencies had [[Links between Trump associates and Russian officials and spies#2015-2016 foreign surveillance of Russian targets|intercepted secret communications and surveilled meetings between members of the Trump campaign team and Russian spies]], and shared this intelligence with their U.S. counterparts. The communications were obtained through "incidental collection" as part of routine surveillance of Russian intelligence assets, not from a targeted operation against Trump or his campaign.<ref name="Harding_4/13/2017">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/apr/13/british-spies-first-to-spot-trump-team-links-russia|title=British spies were first to spot Trump team's links with Russia|last1=Harding|first1=Luke|date=April 13, 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=May 12, 2017|last2=Kirchgaessner|first2=Stephanie|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|last3=Hopkins|first3=Nick}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 14, 2017 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/13/politics/trump-russia-british-intelligence/index.html |title=British intelligence passed Trump associates' communications with Russians on to US counterparts |author1=Jim Sciutto |author2=Pamela Brown |author3=Eric Bradner |publisher=CNN |access-date=May 12, 2017}}</ref>
Before ''The Guardian'''s report, during a March 14, 2017, ''Fox & Friends'' interview, [[Andrew Napolitano]] said that "Three intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command", using the British [[Government Communications Headquarters]] (GCHQ) to implement surveillance to avoid leaving "American fingerprints".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/03/14/judge-napolitano-why-there-may-never-be-proof-even-if-obama-spied-trump|title=Judge Nap: Obama 'Went Outside Chain of Command,' Used British Spy Agency to Surveil Trump|date=March 14, 2017|publisher=Fox News|access-date=March 14, 2017}}</ref> Napolitano accused [[Robert Hannigan]], who resigned from the GCHQ on January 23, of ordering the wiretap. Hannigan reportedly resigned for personal reasons.<ref>{{cite web |last=Haddad |first=Tareq |url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/gchq-did-not-spy-donald-trump-security-official-confirms-1611628 |title=GCHQ did not spy on Donald Trump, security official confirms |date=March 15, 2017 |work=International Business Times |access-date=March 18, 2017}}</ref> Fox News anchor [[Bret Baier]] later stated that "the Fox News division was never able to back up [Napolitano's] claims".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/03/17/media/fox-news-donald-trump-andrew-napolitano/index.html |title=Reporting or commentary? Napolitano claim shows Fox's blurry line |last=Stelter |first=Brian |date=March 17, 2017 |website=CNNMoney |access-date=March 20, 2017}}</ref> Napolitano was reportedly temporarily taken off air by Fox due to the allegations.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/fox-pulls-napolitano-from-air-after-trump-report/2017/03/20/d87cdd92-0ddf-11e7-aa57-2ca1b05c41b8_story.html|title=Fox pulls Napolitano from air after Trump report |last=Bauder |first=David |date=March 20, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 4, 2017 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=March 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321060123/https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/fox-pulls-napolitano-from-air-after-trump-report/2017/03/20/d87cdd92-0ddf-11e7-aa57-2ca1b05c41b8_story.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> One of Napolitano's sources was former intelligence officer [[Larry C. Johnson]], who later told [[CNN]] that Napolitano had misrepresented the statements he made on an online discussion board. Johnson, citing two anonymous sources, claimed that the GCHQ was passing information on the Trump campaign to US intelligence through a "back-channel", but stressed that the GCHQ did not "wiretap" Trump or his associates and that alleged information sharing by the GCHQ was not done at the direction of the Obama administration.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/324707-ex-intelligence-official-napolitanos-british-wire-tapping-claim-didnt-get-it-right/|title=Ex-intelligence official: Napolitano's British wiretapping claim 'didn't get it right' |last=Master |first=Cyra |date=March 19, 2017 |work=TheHill |access-date=April 4, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/03/19/media/larry-johnson-napolitano-fox-news/index.html |title=Consultant says he wasn't "knowingly" source for Napolitano report |last=Disis |first=Jill |date=March 19, 2017 |website=CNNMoney |access-date=April 4, 2017}}</ref>
On March 16, Spicer repeated Napolitano's claim at a White House press briefing. The following day, GCHQ responded with a rare public statement: "Recent allegations made by media commentator Judge Andrew Napolitano about GCHQ being asked to conduct 'wiretapping' against the then president-elect are nonsense. They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored."<ref>{{cite web |date=March 17, 2017 |last1=Gambino |first1=Lauren |last2=Rawlinson |first2=Kevin |title=GCHQ dismisses 'utterly ridiculous' claim it helped wiretap Trump |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/16/gchq-denies-wiretap-claim-trump-obama |website=The Guardian |access-date=March 17, 2017}}</ref> A British government source said the allegation was "totally untrue and quite frankly absurd".<ref name="Swinford" /> Admiral [[Michael S. Rogers]], director of the [[National Security Agency]] (NSA), said he has seen nothing to suggest that there was "any such activity" nor any request to do so.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/us/politics/takeaways-russia-intelligence-committee-hearing.html?_r=0 |title=Highlights From the House Hearing on Russian Interference in the U.S. Election |last=Shane |first=Scott |date=March 20, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170320202930/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/us/politics/takeaways-russia-intelligence-committee-hearing.html?_r=0 |archive-date=March 20, 2017 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> Former GCHQ director [[David Omand]] told ''[[Financial Times]]'' that "The suggestion that [Barack Obama] asked GCHQ to spy on Trump is just completely barking — that would be evident to anyone who knew the system."<ref name=":5" />
The claim started a diplomatic dispute with Britain. [[Tim Farron]], the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] leader in Britain,  said "Trump is compromising the vital UK-US security relationship to try to cover his own embarrassment. This harms our and US security."<ref name="Swinford" /> ''The Telegraph'' said that two U.S. officials had personally apologized for the allegation.<ref name="Swinford">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/17/us-makes-formal-apology-britain-white-house-accuses-gchq-wiretapping/ |title=Donald Trump fuels diplomatic row with Britain after apology from US officials over GCHQ wiretapping claims |last=Swinford |first=Steven |date=March 18, 2017 |work=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=March 21, 2017}}</ref> The British government also said that the U.S. government promised not to repeat these claims.<ref>{{cite news |last=Adam |first=Karla |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/03/17/britains-gchq-breaks-its-silence-to-slap-down-claim-it-was-involved-in-trump-wiretap/ |title=Britain: White House says it won't repeat claims that a British agency wiretapped Trump |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=March 17, 2017 |access-date=March 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220706222128/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/03/17/britains-gchq-breaks-its-silence-to-slap-down-claim-it-was-involved-in-trump-wiretap/ |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ft.com/content/ee7663bc-0a7d-11e7-97d1-5e720a26771b |title=White House reassures UK it will not repeat Trump spying claim |last1=Weaver |first1=Courtney |last2=Jones |first2=Sam |date=March 17, 2017 |website=Financial Times |access-date=June 29, 2022 |quote=The White House has assured the UK government it will not repeat allegations that President Donald Trump was placed under surveillance by GCHQ, Britain's electronic eavesdropping agency, after London protested over the 'nonsense' claims.&nbsp;... }}</ref> The White House denied reports that it had apologized to the British government, saying Spicer was merely "pointing to public reports" without endorsing them.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Westcott |first1=Ben |last2=Merica |first2=Dan |last3=Sciutto |first3=Jim |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/17/politics/gchq-trump-wiretap-denial/index.html |title=White House: No apology to British government over spying claims |date=March 17, 2017 |work=CNN |access-date=March 18, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Swinford" />
=== Surveillance of Trump associates ===
{{Main|Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)}}
==== Reports ====
{{Main|Inspector General report on the Crossfire Hurricane investigation}}
On January 11, 2017, ''[[The Guardian]]'' reported<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/10/fbi-chief-given-dossier-by-john-mccain-alleging-secret-trump-russia-contacts |title=John McCain passes dossier alleging secret Trump-Russia contacts to FBI |last=Borger |first=Julian |date=January 11, 2017|work=The Guardian |access-date=March 19, 2017|language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> that the FBI initially applied for a FISA warrant in June 2016, requesting to "monitor four members of the Trump team suspected of irregular contacts with Russian officials". This initial request was denied. A source told ''The Guardian'' that the FBI then submitted a more narrowly focused request in October, "but that has not been confirmed, and it is not clear whether any warrant led to a full investigation". ''The Guardian'' article was not cited by the [[White House Press Secretary|White House]] in connection with Trump's wiretapping claim.<ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" />
The day after ''The Guardian'' report, ''[[BBC]]'' journalist [[Paul Wood (journalist)|Paul Wood]] separately reported that, in response to an April 2016 tip from a foreign intelligence agency to the CIA about "money from the Kremlin going into the US presidential campaign", a joint task force had been established including representatives of the FBI, the [[US Department of the Treasury|Department of the Treasury]], the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]] (DOJ), the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA), the [[Office of the Director of National Intelligence]] (ODNI) and the NSA; and in June 2016 lawyers from the FBI had applied to the FISA court for "permission to intercept the electronic records from two Russian banks". The BBC alleged that the investigation was prompted in April 2016 by a "tip" from an intelligence agency of one of the [[Baltic states|Baltic States]]. According to Wood, this application was rejected, as was a more narrowly focused request in July, and the order was finally granted by a different FISA judge on October 15, three weeks before the presidential election. According to the article, the warrant did not name Trump or his associates.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |title=Trump 'compromising' claims: How and why did we get here? |author=Paul Wood |work=BBC |date=January 12, 2017|access-date=March 7, 2017 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38589427}}</ref>
On January 18, [[The McClatchy Company|''McClatchy'']] separately<ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" /> reported<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Stone |first1=Peter |last2=Gordon |first2=Greg |url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article127231799.html |title=FBI, 5 other agencies probe possible covert Kremlin aid to Trump|work=mcclatchydc |access-date=March 22, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200610161249/https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article127231799.html |archive-date=June 10, 2020 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |language=en}}</ref> that "the FBI had obtained a warrant on Oct. 15 from the highly secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court allowing investigators access to bank records and other documents about potential payments and money transfers related to Russia". The ''McClatchy'' article was not cited by the [[White House Press Secretary|White House]] in connection with Trump's wiretapping claim.<ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" />
In April 2017, ''The Washington Post'' initially reported that the FBI secured a FISA warrant to monitor Trump campaign associate [[Carter Page]] in the summer of 2016 — later corrected to October 2016, one month after Page had left the Trump campaign. The warrant was reportedly based on the possibility that Page was acting as an agent of a foreign government, i.e., Russia.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nakashima |first1=Ellen |last2=Barrett |first2=Devlin |last3=Entous |first3=Adam |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-obtained-fisa-warrant-to-monitor-former-trump-adviser-carter-page/2017/04/11/620192ea-1e0e-11e7-ad74-3a742a6e93a7_story.html |title=FBI obtained FISA warrant to monitor Trump adviser Carter Page |date=April 11, 2017 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200514135048/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-obtained-fisa-warrant-to-monitor-former-trump-adviser-carter-page/2017/04/11/620192ea-1e0e-11e7-ad74-3a742a6e93a7_story.html |archive-date=May 14, 2020 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Green |first1=Miranda |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/12/politics/fbi-carter-page-russia/index.html |title=FBI monitored former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page on Russia |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=April 12, 2017 |access-date=September 19, 2017}}</ref>
On September 18, 2017, [[CNN]] reported that the FBI wiretapped [[Paul Manafort]], Trump's former campaign chairman, from as early as 2014 through an unspecified time before the 2016 election, and also after the election through early 2017, pursuant to two separate FISA court orders. It has not been confirmed whether Trump's conversations with Manafort were intercepted as part of this surveillance. CNN acknowledged that prior to this disclosure, "speculation has run rampant about whether Manafort or others associated with Trump were under surveillance". The CNN report noted that it was unclear if Manafort was under FBI surveillance while he resided in Trump Tower. In December 2019, CNN added an editor's note to the article, stating: "On December 9, 2019, the [[United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General|Justice Department Inspector General]] released a report regarding the opening of the investigation on Russian election interference and Donald Trump's campaign. In the report, the IG contradicts what CNN was told in 2017, noting that the FBI team overseeing the investigation did not seek FISA surveillance of Paul Manafort."<ref name="Manafort wiretap">{{cite web |last1=Perez |first1=Evan |last2=Prokupecz |first2=Shimon |last3=Brown |first3=Pamela |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/18/politics/paul-manafort-government-wiretapped-fisa-russians/index.html |title=Exclusive: US government wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=September 18, 2017 |access-date=January 13, 2022}}</ref>
On May 16, 2018, The New York Times reported that "The F.B.I. investigated four unidentified Trump campaign aides in those early months...[including]...Michael T. Flynn, Paul Manafort, Carter Page and Mr. Papadopoulos."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/16/us/politics/crossfire-hurricane-trump-russia-fbi-mueller-investigation.html|title=Code Name Crossfire Hurricane: The Secret Origins of the Trump Investigation|last1=Apuzzo|first1=Matt|date=May 16, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=September 22, 2019|last2=Goldman|first2=Adam|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|last3=Fandos|first3=Nicholas}}</ref>
==== Analysis ====
In its March 5 analysis of the reporting that preceded Trump's allegations, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' stated that "the articles all suggest that the FISA requests—if they happened—were done by the intelligence agencies and the FBI", and not by the Obama administration. According to ''The Post'', Mensch's article was the only one to have alleged any surveillance of Trump Tower. No major news organizations have been able to confirm Mensch's account,<ref name=":4" /> despite prolonged efforts by ''The New York Times'' and ''The Washington Post''. This absence of verification, combined with Mensch's reliance on "vague"<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/05/us/politics/trump-phone-tapping-surveillance-issues.html |title=What Can Be Gleaned From Trump's Allegations of Wiretapping |last=Savage |first=Charlie |date=March 5, 2017 |work=The New York Times |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170306035339/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/05/us/politics/trump-phone-tapping-surveillance-issues.html?_r=0 |archive-date=March 6, 2017 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 4, 2017 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and anonymous sourcing to individuals "with links to the counter-intelligence community", lead ''The Times'' and ''The Post'' to urge skepticism about the veracity of her account.<ref name=":3" /><ref name="HtStreetcopypasta" />
David A. Graham of ''[[The Atlantic]]'' responded to claims that the Manafort wiretap report vindicated Trump's March 2017 tweets: "This is not true—Trump claimed he had been the subject of Obama-ordered, politically motivated surveillance, for which there remains no evidence." While acknowledging that "it does make for a more complicated picture than previously known", Graham argued "there are reasons to doubt" that Trump was even aware of the Manafort wiretap at the time he made his unsupported allegations against Obama. Graham concluded: "Insofar as there are parallels between what Pollak, Levin, and Napolitano said and the new story, it looks like luck."<ref name="Graham Not Vindicated">{{cite web |last=Graham |first=David A. |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/09/does-the-latest-manafort-news-vindicate-trumps-wiretap-claim/540321/ |title=Is Trump's 'Wiretap' Claim Vindicated? |work=[[The Atlantic]] |date=September 19, 2017 |access-date=September 20, 2017}}</ref> Aaron Blake of ''The Washington Post'' noted that, according to CNN, lawyers for both Trump and Manafort convinced the two men to discontinue their phone conversations some time after Trump took office: "If Trump's lawyers somehow knew about and fought back against the Manafort wiretap, it stands to reason that Trump himself might have been aware of it.&nbsp;... While we don't know the exact timing of all of this, perhaps this is what Trump was referring to and he, as he is wont to do, exaggerated it."<ref name="Blake Wash Post">{{cite news|last=Blake|first=Aaron|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/09/19/cnn-says-the-government-wiretapped-manafort-does-that-vindicate-trumps-obama-wiretapped-me-claims/|title=CNN says Manafort was wiretapped. Does that vindicate Trump's Obama-spied-on-me claims?|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=September 19, 2017|access-date=September 25, 2017|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180120174228/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/09/19/cnn-says-the-government-wiretapped-manafort-does-that-vindicate-trumps-obama-wiretapped-me-claims/ |archive-date=January 20, 2018 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
''[[The Washington Post]]'' media critic [[Erik Wemple]] criticized CNN for not retracting its Manafort wiretap report in December 2019, while also noting a subdued response from right-leaning critics of the network: "A mightier uproar likely would have resulted if CNN's story had attacked a common Trump talking point. Instead, it supported the president's claims that the federal government had spied on his campaign. Keep this case in mind the next time someone says that errors in the mainstream media go only against Trump."<ref>{{cite news |last=Wemple |first=Erik |authorlink=Erik Wemple |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/11/cnn-embarrasses-itself-over-manafort-exclusive/ |title=Opinion: CNN embarrasses itself over Manafort exclusive |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=December 11, 2019 |access-date=January 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20191211194946/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/11/cnn-embarrasses-itself-over-manafort-exclusive/ |archive-date=December 11, 2019 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
There has been criticism of Trump's claim as simply being a "[[Dead cat strategy|dead cat]]", a false allegation against Obama intended to direct media and public interest away from Trump and his team's alleged connections with Russia.<ref name="bbcnews1">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-39221378 |title=Trump and the media – Is it war or love? |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=March 10, 2017 |access-date=March 11, 2017}}</ref>
== Reactions ==
=== From politicians ===
Most Republicans in Congress distanced themselves from the claim and refused to comment on it, although members of both the [[United States Senate|Senate]] and [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] vowed to investigate the matter.<ref name="The Guardian no evidence">{{Cite news|title=Top Republicans refuse to back up Trump's unproven wiretapping claim |author=Sabrina Siddiqui, David Smith |date=March 8, 2017 |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/07/trump-wiretap-obama-republicans-us-intelligence }}</ref>
Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis repudiated the claim in a statement later that day 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."<ref name="WaPost no evidence" />  ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' described Obama as "livid" when he heard about the allegations personally,<ref name="Business Insider">{{cite news |author=Brian Logan |title=Obama is reportedly 'furious' over Trump's unsubstantiated wiretapping allegations|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-responds-trump-wiretapping-claim-2017-3 |work=Business Insider |date=March 8, 2017}}</ref> though other sources said he "rolled his eyes" and remained more concerned about Trump's conservative and nationalist agenda.<ref name="The Hill">{{cite news |author=Rebecca Savransky |title=Obama 'rolled his eyes' at Trump's wiretap accusation|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/322945-obama-rolled-his-eyes-at-trumps-wiretap-accusation/ |work=The Hill |date=March 8, 2017}}</ref>
Republican Senator [[Rand Paul]] pointed out that a backdoor intercept of Trump's communications was possible.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2017-03-13/authorities-intercepted-1-227-obama-calls-rand-paul-says-misreading-report-to-explain-trump |work=U.S. News & World Report |first=Steven |title=Authorities Intercepted 1,227 Obama Calls, Rand Paul Says, Misreading Report to Explain Trump |last=Nelson |date=March 13, 2017|access-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref> Elizabeth Goitein, a surveillance law expert at [[New York University School of Law|New York University]], pointed out that backdoor searches of incidental records collected on Americans overseas were allowed by U.S. law.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2017-03-07/will-trumps-wiretap-claim-prove-true|title=Will Trump's Wiretap Claim Prove True?|work=U.S. News & World Report|date=March 7, 2017|first=Steven|last=Nelson}}</ref> Republican Representative [[Frank LoBiondo]], a senior member on the House Intelligence Committee, speculated on March 20, after Comey's testimony to the committee, that it was possible there was incidental collection that occurred due to targeting Russian communications, but expressed doubt that there was any evidence that there was such a wiretap.<ref>{{cite interview|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/03/20/520788195/house-committee-hosts-1st-public-hearing-into-russia-election-interference|date=March 20, 2017|title=House Committee Hosts Public Hearing Into Russia Election Interference|interviewer=David Greene|first=David|last=LoBiondo|quote= There is no evidence demonstrating that there was a wiretap. What – now, was there something incidental that there was some listening on the Russians that somehow touched on that? …it's possible… I don't think there's any evidence anything went on.|publisher=NPR}}</ref> Incidental collection—also called backdoor collection by politicians such as Democratic Senator [[Ron Wyden]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/09/nsa-loophole-warrantless-searches-email-calls|title=NSA loophole allows warrantless search for US citizens' emails and phone calls |date=August 9, 2013 |first1=James |last1=Ball |first2=Spencer |last2=Ackerman |work=The Guardian}}</ref> —has been publicly acknowledged by the intelligence community for years.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/us/politics/letter-puts-focus-on-us-searches-for-americans-emails-and-calls.html |date=April 1, 2014 |title=Letter Tells of U.S. Searches for Emails and Calls |first=Charlie |last=Savage |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 6, 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20220706223022/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/us/politics/letter-puts-focus-on-us-searches-for-americans-emails-and-calls.html |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Letter to Senators Wyden|work=The New York Times|via=Charlie Savage|date=March 28, 2017|url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1100298-unclassified-702-response.html|first=James|last=Clapper}}</ref> Democratic Representative [[Ted Lieu]] compared Trump to [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]]:<ref name="Independent_3/4/2017">{{cite web | author=[[The Independent]] | title=US Congressman offers withering response to Trump's wiretapping claims | website=[[The Independent]] | date=March 4, 2017 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-us-congressman-ted-lieu-barack-obama-twitter-wiretapping-trump-tower-election-white-house-a7611826.html | access-date=July 16, 2022}}</ref> "Either @realDonaldTrump is [[paranoid]] like Nixon, or judge found [[probable cause]] of crime for #wiretap. Either way our President is in trouble."<ref name="Lieu_8:01_5/14/2017">{{cite web | title=Ted Lieu tweet at 8:01 a.m. | website=[[Twitter]] | date=May 14, 2017 | url=https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/838056836783730689 | access-date=July 16, 2022}}</ref>
German Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] reacted to Trump's claims with a wince in March 2017. The topic came up during a joint question and answer session with the media during Merkel's visit to the White House. Trump tried to crack a joke, saying "at least we have something in common, perhaps," referring to the fact that the [[National Security Agency|NSA]] had at one point spied on Merkel's cell phone. Merkel did not comment in response but her reaction was circulated widely on social media.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tempel |first=Sylke |date=March 20, 207 |title=Where the United States and Germany Go From Here |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2017-03-20/trump-and-merkel-take |work=Foreign Affairs |access-date=July 14, 2022 |quote=when Trump tried to crack a joke at Merkel's expense in a question-and-answer session with the media. "At least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump said, referring to the fact that the U.S. National Security Agency had at one point spied on Merkel's cell phone and to his administration's own unsubtantiated claim that the government of former U.S. President Barack Obama had asked British intelligence to wiretap Trump Tower. Merkel only winced.}}</ref>
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin distanced the Kremlin from Trump's claim when asked about it.<ref name="PBS investigate" />
=== From the media ===
Speaking to NBC's ''Meet the Press'', former Director of National Intelligence [[James Clapper]] said "For the part of the national security apparatus that I oversaw as DNI there was no such wiretap activity mounted against the President-elect at the time, or as a candidate, or against his campaign."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/05/politics/clapper-trump-wiretap/index.html|title=Clapper: 'No such wiretap activity mounted' on Trump|last=Diamond|first=Jeremy|date=March 5, 2017|publisher=CNN|access-date=March 21, 2017}}</ref> When the Obama administration's former press secretary [[Josh Earnest]] was asked by [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]'s [[Martha Raddatz]] if he could deny that the Obama Justice Department had sought and obtained a FISA court-ordered wiretap of the Trump campaign, he responded, "I don't know&nbsp;... The president was not giving marching orders to the FBI about how to conduct their investigations."<ref name="Raddatz Earnest 1">{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-transcript-17-sarah-huckabee-sanders-josh-earnest/story?id=45911284 |title='This Week' Transcript 3-5-17: Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Josh Earnest, and Sen. Al Franken |publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=March 5, 2017 |access-date=September 24, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Raddatz Earnest 2">{{cite web |last=Dukakis |first=Ali |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/obama-spokesman-trump-working-hard-distract-growing-scandal/story?id=45911024 |title=Former Obama spokesman: Trump 'working very hard' to distract from 'growing scandal'|publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=March 5, 2017 |access-date=September 24, 2017}}</ref>
=== Official government investigations ===
Following the tweets, the White House issued a statement asking for congress to exercise their oversight authority to investigate the wiretapping allegations. Both the [[House Intelligence Committee]] and the [[Senate Intelligence Committee]] already had ongoing investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election and Trump's tweets added fuel to the fire of those investigations, so they accepted the request.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Raju |first1=Manu |last2=LoBianco |first2=Tom |date=March 10, 2017 |title=FBI Director James Comey meets with Congress 'Gang of Eight' |url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/09/politics/fbi-director-james-comey-meets-with-congress-gang-of-eight/index.html |work=CNN |access-date=July 11, 2022 |quote=The House Intelligence Committee set an aggressive timeline of gathering intelligence by March 17 and hosting its first public hearing March 20. Trump's own accusations that he was wire-tapped by the administration of former President Barack Obama only added fuel to the fire}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/317368-top-dems-push-pentagon-to-investigate-russian-payments-to-flynn/|title=Top Dems push Pentagon to investigate Russian payments to Flynn|date=February 1, 2017|work=The Hill |last1=Williams |first1=Katie Bo |access-date=July 6, 2017 |quote=Both the House and Senate Intelligence panels have launched broader probes into Russian interference in the U.S. election, which will include probing 'any intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns.'}}</ref> The [[United States House Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]] and the [[United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary|Senate Judiciary Committee]] also jumped at the opportunity to investigate, [[Lindsey Graham|Chairman Graham]] saying "if there is a investigation at the FBI of Trump, Russia campaign activities, I want to know about it. I'm tired of reading about it in the paper."<ref name="gangofeight">{{cite news |last1=Shuham |first1=Matt |date=March 9, 2017 |title=Reports: FBI Director Comey Meets With Intel 'Gang Of Eight' On Capitol Hill |url=https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/reports-fbi-director-comey-senate-meeting |work=Talking Points Memo |access-date=July 11, 2022 |quote=That same day, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), discussing the possibility that FBI was investigating ties between the Trump campaign or administration and Russia, said "if there is a investigation at the FBI of Trump, Russia campaign activities, I want to know about it. I'm tired of reading about it in the paper."}}</ref> All four congressional committees requested relevant documentation from the Department of Justice.<ref name="PBS investigate" /><ref name="Cnn graham" /> The House Intelligence committee set a deadline of March 13 for responsive documentation as well as an open hearing on March 20 to review.<ref name="dojrequest">{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/doj-asks-more-time-after-house-committee-asks-trump-wiretap-n733066|title=DOJ Asks for More Time in House Intel Request for Trump 'Wiretap' Evidence |date=March 13, 2017|work=NBC News |last1=Stelloh |first1=Tim |access-date=July 6, 2022}}</ref>
As an initial response, the FBI briefed the [[Gang of Eight (intelligence)|Gang of Eight]] on March 9, giving them insight into [[Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)|Crossfire Hurricane]], including the existence of a FISA warrant on [[Carter Page]] but requested more time to produce actual documentation for the intelligence committees to review.<ref name="gangofeight" /><ref name="dojrequest" /> On March 15, [[Devin Nunes]] and [[Adam Schiff]], both members of the Gang of Eight, told reporters that they had not found any evidence supporting the wiretapping claim.<ref name="nunesrefute" /> On March 16, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a joint statement echoing that sentiment, saying "based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element to the United States government either before or after Election Day."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://rollcall.com/2017/03/16/senate-intel-leaders-no-wiretapping-at-trump-tower/|title=Senate Intel Leaders: No Wiretapping at Trump Tower |date=March 16, 2017|work=Roll Call |last1=Rahman |first1=Rema |access-date=July 6, 2022}}</ref>
At the March 20 House Intelligence hearing, Comey made a statement refuting Trump's claims regarding wiretapping while also confirming the existence of a probe into coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.<ref name="nyt_comey">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/us/politics/intelligence-committee-russia-donald-trump.html|title=Comey Confirms F.B.I. Investigation of Russian Election Interference, Links to Trump Campaign|date=March 20, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]] |last2=Huetteman |first2=Emmarie |last3=Schmidt |first3=Michael |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Matthew |access-date=March 20, 2017}}</ref>  Comey had asked the Justice Department to publish a statement refuting the wiretapping claims immediately following the tweets on March 4, but they did not do so before his statement.<ref name="Comey refute" />
On March 23, Nunes stated that communications to and from [[First presidential transition of Donald Trump|Trump's presidential transition team]] may have been intercepted as part of incidental collection.<ref name="Rosenberg Goldman Huetteman 2017">{{cite web |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Matthew |last2=Goldman |first2=Adam |last3=Huetteman |first3=Emmarie |title=Monitoring May Have 'Incidentally' Picked Up Trump Aides, House Member Says |website=The New York Times |date=March 20, 2017 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/22/us/politics/devin-nunes-wiretapping-trump.html |access-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref> In response, officials in the Obama administration refuted any claims that it had been monitoring the Trump team. Nunes said the surveillance was unrelated to the Russia investigation and "suggested the contents may have been inappropriately disseminated in intelligence reports&nbsp;... for political reasons".<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/8f45d6141e4e4cce86024af85841a9f7|title=Spying claim by Intel chair renews fight over Russia probe|publisher=Associated Press|date=March 22, 2017|access-date=March 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324020019/http://bigstory.ap.org/8f45d6141e4e4cce86024af85841a9f7|archive-date=March 24, 2017|url-status=live}}
* See also {{cite tweet|user=AP|number=844601141908455425|title=GOP lawmaker says President Trump's communications may have been 'monitored' during transition period. |date=March 22, 2017|access-date=March 23, 2017}}</ref> Later the same day, Nunes said that he did not know "for sure" whether intelligence committees had actually monitored the Trump team's communications.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-pol-russia-investigation-20170324-story.html|title=House Intelligence chair partially backs off claim about surveillance of Trump transition team|last1=Cloud|first1=David S.|date=March 23, 2017|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=March 24, 2017|last2=Willman|first2=David|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035}}</ref> In September, former [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] [[Susan Rice]] stated that a December 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Trump transition officials and [[Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan]] of the [[United Arab Emirates]] (UAE) raised suspicions because the UAE allegedly failed to give the Obama administration advance notice of Zayed's visit to the U.S., as is customary. Therefore, to better understand the intent of the meeting, she "requested the names of the Americans mentioned in the classified report be revealed internally" (or "[[Masking and unmasking by intelligence agencies|unmasked]]"). According to [[CNN]]'s Manu Raju, while Nunes implied that such unmasking may have been improper—an allegation that the Trump administration used to deflect from Trump's original wiretap claim—Rice's "explanation appears to have satisfied some influential Republicans on the committee, undercutting both Nunes and Trump". Republican Representative [[Mike Conaway]] affirmed: "She was a good witness, answered all our questions. I'm not aware of any reason to bring her back."<ref>{{cite web|last=Raju|first=Manu|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/13/politics/susan-rice-house-investigators-unmasked-trump-officials/index.html|title=Exclusive: Rice told House investigators why she unmasked senior Trump officials|publisher=[[CNN]]|date=September 18, 2017|access-date=September 19, 2017}}</ref> In May 2020, attorney general [[Bill Barr]] appointed federal prosecutor [[John Bash]] to examine unmasking conducted by the Obama administration.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/27/politics/william-barr-unmasking-investigation/index.html|title=Attorney general launches new 'unmasking' investigation around 2016 election|author=David Shortell|website=CNN|date=May 28, 2020 }}</ref> The inquiry concluded in October with no findings of substantive wrongdoing.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/barr-unmasking-review-no-charges/2020/10/13/0f63fd2e-0d67-11eb-8074-0e943a91bf08_story.html |title='Unmasking' probe commissioned by Barr quietly concludes without charges or any public report |first1=Matt |last1=Zapotosky |first2=Shane |last2=Harris |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201013223738/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/barr-unmasking-review-no-charges/2020/10/13/0f63fd2e-0d67-11eb-8074-0e943a91bf08_story.html |archive-date=October 13, 2020 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref>
Liberal watchdog group American Oversight filed a [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|FOIA]] request on March 20, 2017, demanding records that supported or disproved Trump's wiretap tweets.<ref name="AO" /> They initially received a [[Glomar response]], saying the Department of Justice and the FBI "could not confirm or deny the existence" of any records that are responsive to American Oversight's [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|FOIA]] request, citing the potential exposure of classified information.<ref name="AO">{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/04/19/524697854/trumps-wiretap-tweets-bring-lawsuit-seeking-proof |title=Trump's Wiretap Tweets Bring Lawsuit Seeking Proof |first1=Peter |last1=Overby |work=NPR |date=April 19, 2017 |access-date=July 14, 2022}}</ref> The group sued to force a clearer answer and narrowed their request. On September 1, 2017, they received a DOJ court filing stating that "both the FBI and [[United States Department of Justice National Security Division|NSD]] confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by the March 4, 2017 tweets."<ref name="Justice Department">{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=Deirdre |url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/02/politics/justice-department-trump-tower-wiretap/index.html |title=Justice Department: No evidence Trump Tower was wiretapped |date=September 2, 2017 |publisher=CNN |access-date=September 12, 2017}}</ref>
A December 9, 2019, report by the DOJ's [[United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General|Inspector General]] stated that "we are aware of no information indicating that the [[Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)|Crossfire Hurricane]] team requested or seriously considered FISA surveillance of Manafort or [[Michael Flynn|Flynn]]."<ref name="OIG_12/9/2019"/>{{rp|357}}
=== In popular culture ===
Trump's wiretap claim dominated TV news coverage in March 2017 for several weeks, overshadowing every other discussion about Trump's policy agenda.<ref name="coverage">{{cite web | last1=Morash | first1=Alex | title=TV News Coverage Of Trump's Policies Overwhelmed By His Wiretapping Lie | website=Media Matters | date=March 22, 2017 | url=https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/tv-news-coverage-trumps-policies-overwhelmed-his-wiretapping-lie | access-date=June 29, 2022}}</ref> Late night talk show hosts Trevor Noah, James Corden and Stephen Colbert all made fun of President Trump for his wiretap accusations.<ref name="hollywood reporter">{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/late-night-trump-wiretap-obama-accusation-983902/|title=Late-Night Hosts Laugh at Trump's Wiretap Accusation Tweets|date=March 7, 2017|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=June 29, 2022}}</ref> Colbert mocked Kellyanne Conway's reference to microwave cameras the following week.<ref name=MediaMadness>{{cite book |last=Kurtz |first=Howard  |date=January 29, 2018 |title=Media Madness: Donald Trump, the Press, and the War Over the Truth |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tO07DwAAQBAJ |publisher=Regnery Publishing |isbn=9781621577560}}</ref> Celebrities Alec Baldwin, Don Cheadle, Sarah Silverman, Sophia Bush and J.K. Rowling publicly reacted to Trump's claims,<ref>{{Cite web |author=<!--not stated--> |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/alec-baldwin-sarah-silverman-and-others-react-to-fbi-testimony-on-donald-trumps-wiretapping-claims-and-ties-to-russia-210858851.html |title=Alec Baldwin, Sarah Silverman, and Others React to FBI Testimony on Donald Trump's Wiretapping Claims and Ties to Russia |date=March 20, 2017 |publisher=Yahoo Finance |access-date=June 29, 2022}}</ref> while actor [[Mark Hamill]] read the tweets as [[Joker (character)|Joker]], the fictional supervillain,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.themarysue.com/mark-hamill-wiretap-tweets-as-the-joker/ |title=And Now, Mark Hamill Reads Trump's Wiretap Tweets as the Joker |last=Hale-Stern |first=Kaila |date=March 7, 2017 |website=The Mary Sue |access-date=July 5, 2022}}</ref> and author [[Stephen King]] jokingly turned them into a short story.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/322390-stephen-king-mocks-trump-wiretap-allegations-by-turning-them/ |title=Stephen King mocks Trump wiretap allegations with short story |last=Seipel |first=Brooke |date=March 4, 2017 |website=The Hill |access-date=July 5, 2022}}</ref>
The "wiretap" tweets are included on multiple lists of Trump's most controversial tweets.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Coles |first=Amy |url=https://news.sky.com/story/us-election-donald-trumps-45-most-controversial-tweets-12098204 |title=US election: Donald Trump's 45 most controversial tweets |date=October 12, 2020 |publisher=Sky News |access-date=June 29, 2022}}</ref> In 2020, commentator Eli Lake called it the "most consequential tweet of his presidency".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Lake |first=Eli |date=February 2020 |title=The FBI Scandal |url=https://www.commentary.org/articles/eli-lake/the-fbi-scandal/ |url-status=live |magazine=Commentary |archive-url=https://archive.today/20211112014058/https://www.commentary.org/articles/eli-lake/the-fbi-scandal/ |archive-date=November 12, 2021 |access-date=June 28, 2022}}</ref>
According to an April 2019 Politico/Morning Consult poll, 38% of American voters believed Donald Trump's presidential campaign was spied on during the 2016 election, with 57% agreement by Republicans and 24% by Democrats.<ref>{{cite news |last=McCaskell |first=Nolan D. |date=April 17, 2019 |title=Poll: Nearly 4 in 10 voters believe Trump's campaign was spied on |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/17/trump-campaign-spy-poll-1278233 |work=Politico |access-date=June 30, 2022}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Allegations of Obama spying on Trump]]
* [[List of conspiracy theories promoted by Donald Trump]]
* [[Nunes memo]]
* [[Social media use by Donald Trump]]
== Notes ==
{{notelist}}
== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Donald Trump}}
[[Category:2017 controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:2017 in American politics]]
[[Category:Allegations]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories regarding Barack Obama]]
[[Category:Donald Trump and social media]]
[[Category:March 2017 in the United States]]
[[Category:Telephone tapping]]
[[Category:First Trump administration controversies]]
[[Category:Twitter controversies]]
[[Category:United Kingdom–United States relations]]