Top Republican leaders are backing away from President Donald Trump’s claims that then President Barack Obama wiretapped his Trump Tower last year during the election campaign.
House Intelligence chairman Devin Nunes, a member of Mr Trump's transition team, brushed aside the President's allegations saying the news media were taking Mr Trump’s weekend tweets too literally. “The President is a neophyte to politics — he’s been doing this a little over a year ... Sometimes he doesn’t have 27 lawyers and staff looking at what he does … I don’t think we should attack the president for tweeting.
Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, said: “We have an existing intelligence committee looking at all aspects of what may have been done last year related the Russians or the campaign and we’ll leave it there.”
On Saturday, Mr Trump had tweeted: “Is it legal for a sitting President to be ‘wire tapping' a race for President prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!” He followed it up with: “How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!”
Mr Trump’s accusations were underscored by a report that FBI director James Comey, asked the Department of Justice over the weekend to reject the President’s charge.
The White House, however, is firmly on the President’s side.When asked if the President regretted his attack on the Obama administration, White House press secretary Sean Spicer replied: “No. Absolutely not,” adding, “Why would he withdraw it until it’s adjudicated? It’s not that he’s walking anything back or regretting.”
However, he was unable to offer any evidence or source of Mr Trump’s accusation, the Independent reported. “That’s probably a level above my pay grade,” Mr Spicer said, while adding: “It’s not a question of new proof or less proof or whatever.”
