FBI’s Comey to DOJ: Refute Trump claim
But White House stands by allegation, seeks probe.
F B I D i r e c t o r J a mes B . C omey a sked t he Jus t i c e Department over the weekend to publicly reject President Donald Trump’s assertion that President Barack Obama ordered the tapping of Trump’s phones, senior U.S. officials said Sunday. Comey has argued that the highly charged claim is false and must be corrected, they said, but the department has not released any such statement.
Comey, who made the r e q u e s t S a t u r d a y a f t e r Trump leveled his allegation on Twitter, has been working to get the Justice Department to knock down the claim because it falsely insinuates that the FBI broke the law, the officials said.
A spokesman for the FBI declined to comment. Sarah Isgur Flores, spokeswoman for the Justice Department, also declined to comment.
C o m e y ’s r e q u e s t i s a remarkable rebuke of a sitting president, putting the nation’s top law enforcement offic ial in the position of questioning Trump’s truthfulness. The confrontation between the two is the most serious consequence of Trump’s weekend Twitter outburst, and it underscores the dangers of what the president and his aides have unleashed by accusing the former president of a conspiracy to undermine Trump’s administration.
The White House showed no indication that it would back down from Trump’s claims. On Sunday, the president demanded a congressional inquiry into whether Obama had abused the power of federal law enforcement agencies before the 2016 pres- idential election. In a stateident, through his press secment from his spokesman, retary, Sean Spicer, issued a Trump called “reports” about statement Sunday that said, the wiretapping “very trou“President Donald J. Trump bling” and said that Congress is requesting that as part should examine them as part of their investigation into of its investigations into RusRussian activit y, the consia’s meddling in the election. gressional intelligence com
Along with concerns about mittees exercise their overthe potential attacks on the sight authority to determine bureau’s credibility, senior whether executive branch FBI officials are said to be investigative powers were worried that the notion of abused in 2016.” a court-approved wiretap Spicer, who repeated the will raise the public’s expecentire statement in a series of tations that federal authoriTwitter messages, added that ties have significant evidence “neither the White House nor implicating the Trump camthe president will comment paign in colluding with Rusfurther until such oversight sia’s efforts to disrupt the is conducted.” presidential election. A spokesman for Obama and
One problem Comey has his former aides have called faced is that there are few the accusation by Trump senior politically appointed completely false, saying that officials at the Justice DepartObama never ordered any ment who can make the deciwiretapping of a U.S. citizen. sion to release a statement, “A c ardinal rule of the the officials said. Attorney Obama administration was General Jeff Sessions recused that no White House official himself Thursday from all ever interfered with any indematters related to the fedpendent investigation led eral investigation into conby the Department of Jusnections between Trump, tice,” Kevin Lewis, Obama’s his associates and Russia. spokesman, said Saturday.
C o m e y ’s b e h i n d - t h e - Tr u mp’s d e mand f o r a scenes maneuvering is cercongressional investigation tain to invite contrasts to his appears to be based, at least actions last year, when he in part, on unproven claims spoke publicly about the Hilby Breitbart News and conlary Clinton email case and servative talk radio hosts that disregarded Justice Departsecret warrants were issued ment entreaties not to. authorizing the tapping of the
It is not clear why Comey phones of Trump and his aides did not issue the statement at Trump Tower in New York. himself. He is the most senior In a series of Twitter meslaw enforcement official who sages Saturday, the president was kept on the job as the seemed to be convinced that Obama administration gave those claims were true. In way to the Trump adminisone post, Trump said, “I’d tration. And while the Jusbet a good lawyer could make tice Department applies for a great case out of the fact intelligence-gathering warthat President Obama was rants, the FBI keeps its own tapping my phones in Octoset of records and is in posiber, just prior to Election!” tion to know whether Trump’s On Sunday, Sarah Huckaclaims are true. While intellibee Sanders, deputy White gence officials do not normally House press secretary, said discuss the existence or nonthe president was deterexistence of surveillance warmi n e d t o f i n d o u t wha t rants, no law prevents Comey had really happened, callfrom issuing the statement. ing it potentially the “great
In his demand for a conest abuse of power” that the gressional inquiry, the pres- country has ever seen.