Spicer coy after Comey remarks

UNITED STATES: White House press secretary Sean Spicer has continued to defend Donald Trump’s claims that his presidential predecessor ordered surveillance of Trump Tower during the presidential election campaign, even as FBI director James Comey testified to Congress that there is ‘‘no information’’ supporting that claim.

‘‘We are still at the beginning phase of a look as to what kind of surveillance took place and why,’’ Spicer told reporters at his daily briefing yesterday.

He argued that Trump’s critics had focused too narrowly on the president’s use of the term ‘‘wiretapping’’ when he first levelled his explosive charge against former president Barack Obama on Twitter more than two weeks ago.

‘‘I think there’s continuing to be a very, very literal interpretation of his tweet, which is whether or not there was wiretapping,’’ Spicer said.

’’The president understands that you don’t literally wiretap people the same way you did in the ‘70s and ‘80s with wires and things in the top of the phone.’’

Asked whether Trump maintained confidence in Comey, Spicer said: ‘‘There’s no reason to believe he doesn’t at this time.’’

Spicer also sought to downplay testimony by Comey that there is an ongoing counter-intelligence investigation into the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 election, and that the probe extends to the nature of any links between Trump campaign associates and the Russian government.

Spicer said an ongoing investigation into possible collusion between Russians and the Trump campaign didn’t mean there was any, and that several people who had been briefed by the FBI had publicly said they had seen no evidence of collusion.

‘‘Investigating it and having

"I think there's continuing to be a very, very literal interpretation of his tweet." Sean Spicer, White House press secretary

proof of it are two different things. I think it’s fine to look into it, but at the end of the day they’re going to come to the same conclusion that everybody else has had,’’ Spicer said.

Comey’s extraordinary disclosure came near the beginning of a 51⁄2-hour public hearing before the House intelligence committee, in which he also said there was ’’no information’’ that supported Trump’s surveillance claims.

He repeatedly refused to answer when asked whether specific individuals close to the president had fallen under suspicion of criminal wrongdoing.

Comey said the investigation began in late July last year.

Remarkably, Trump’s presidential Twitter account continued to fire away throughout the widely watched hearing, live-tweeting comments and assertions that lawmakers then referred to and used to question Comey and National Security Agency director Michael Rogers. – Washington Post