FBI Director James Comey Reportedly Asked DOJ To Refute Trump Wiretapping Claims
The Trump wiretapping drama continues to unfold on Sunday amid reports that FBI Director James Comey has asked the Department of Justice to “publicly reject” the POTUS’ Twitter claims. As Huffington Post reports, it was Saturday morning when Donald Trump took to Twitter to claim that former President Obama had ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower during the contentious presidential election of 2016.
The claim that James Comey had addressed the Trump wiretapping scandal with the DOJ was originally reported by The New York Times, and later confirmed by NBC News.
FBI Director Comey reportedly called the Trump wiretapping claim “false,” adding that it “must be corrected,” according to information provided by unnamed U.S. government officials who spoke with The Times on Sunday. The Department of Justice is currently headed by embattled, Trump-appointed Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and as of Sunday evening, the department has not refuted the Twitter wiretapping allegations made by Trump.
At least not yet.
It is unknown whether or not Sessions and his Justice Department will be refuting the Trump wiretapping claims as advised by the James Comey, or whether POTUS Trump will be taking point on the topic. Attorney General Sessions is currently embroiled in some political drama of his own, standing accused of making false statements pertaining to his Russia ties and communications during his Senate confirmation hearings.
Last Thursday, AG Sessions publicly announced that he would be recusing himself from any current and future investigations into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign. On Friday, Donald Trump reportedly had an Oval Office meltdown related to the issue just before heading to Florida for the forth weekend since taking office.
Too bad Mr. Comey. You helped pay for this madness, now it's yours. So don't run away. This is a mess you started.https://t.co/kgWYsCCj3F
— Adam B. Bear (@democraticbear) March 6, 2017
Saturday morning is when Trump took to Twitter to begin leveling wiretapping allegations against former President Obama. Seemingly without basis, the new POTUS tore into his predecessor.
Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
Donald Trump has yet to publicly name a source for his wiretapping claims, and an Obama spokesperson has publicly and unequivocally denied that Obama ever ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower during the campaign.
“A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice. As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false.”
As ABC News reports, FBI Director James Comey’s request that the Department of Justice publicly shoot down the Trump wiretapping claim resulted from his “concern” over the subject. Specifically, Comey is said to be worried that the “inaccurate” Trump Twitter allegations of wiretapping throws serious shade on the FBI and makes it appear that the bureau “acted inappropriately.”
FBI Head James Comey Asks Justice Dept. to Publicly Announce That Trump Lied About Obama “Wiretapping” Him https://t.co/GRZoP3dBmo pic.twitter.com/z7S9QLzZZg
— Charles Johnson (@Green_Footballs) March 5, 2017
Quite simply, a source close to James Comey wants to see the record set straight.
The White House, on the contrary, is seemingly standing behind the Trump wiretapping allegations. In a statement released Sunday, press secretary Sean Spicer addressed “reports concerning potentially politically-motivated investigations,” calling the incidents that allegedly took place before Election Day “very troubling.”
Donald Trump himself has doubled down on his Trump Tower wiretapping tweets, calling for an investigation into “whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016,” Spicer confirmed. He went on to say that both White House representatives and Donald Trump himself will refrain from further comment on the wiretapping matter until the demanded “executive powers abuse” investigation is completed.
“Neither the White House nor the president will comment further until such oversight is conducted.”
While talk of Trump Tower wiretapping and James Comey getting involved in the Twitter claims continue to swirl, neither the FBI nor DOJ are commenting on the record about the situation.
[Featured Image by Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Images]
