Trump’s Wiretap Claim Is ‘Unequivocally False,’ Obama Spokesman Says

Spokesman Kevin Lewis says “neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen”

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Donald Trump’s claim that former president Barack Obama had Trump Tower wiretapped prior to the 2016 presidential election is “unequivocally false,” a spokesman for Obama said Saturday.

“Neither @barackobama nor any WH official under Obama has ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. Citizen. Any suggestion is unequivocally false,” Obama spokesman Kevin Lewis tweeted in response to the claim.

In a statement, Lewis continued, “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.”

Trump made the allegation via Twitter early Saturday, offering no evidence for his claim but stating  that his predecessor ran a “Nixon/Watergate” plot “during the very sacred election process.” He also called Obama a “bad (or sick) guy!” and likened the unfounded efforts to “McCarthyism.”

He also said the supposed surveillance resulted in “nothing found.”

Trump’s tweets followed allegations made by conservative radio host Mark Levin this week that Obama and his administration used “police state” tactics to monitor the Trump campaign team last fall prior to the election.

Levin’s unsubstantiated claims were picked up by other right-leaning media outlets, notably Breitbart News, the operation formerly run by Trump senior adviser Steve Bannon.

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