Ridiculous! UK spooks slam Trump claim of election spying
DONALD Trump was embroiled in an extraordinary row with Britain’s intelligence agencies over claims of ‘spying’ last night.
Just a day after his state visit to the UK was announced, Mr Trump threw a grenade into transatlantic relations by claiming British intelligence officers had spied on his presidential election campaign.
He highlighted on Twitter a claim by a former CIA analyst that British intelligence assisted the administration of Barack Obama by spying on his 2016 run for the White House.
In a trademark tweet, Mr Trump added: ‘WOW! It is now just a question of time before the truth comes out, and when it does, it will be a beauty!’
GCHQ – Britain’s electronic espionage agency – said the accusations were ‘utterly ridiculous’.
It referred to a statement it issued when similar allegations surfaced in 2017, dismissing claims that it was asked to conduct ‘wiretapping’ against the then president-elect as ‘nonsense’.
‘They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored,’ the statement said. The row erupted after it was announced that Mr Trump will make his longawaited state visit to the UK in June, to coincide with the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
Activists opposed to the President have threatened to stage mass protests to overshadow the trip.
But US Ambassador Woody Johnson yesterday said Mr Trump ‘is not going to be intimidated by demonstrations – if there are any’.
Mr Johnson told Sky News: ‘My own view is that the relationship between our two countries is very important for both of us, so having the President here is very beneficial for the British people and everything that our relationship represents that is all positives.
‘Rest assured, this country is very important to the President – his mother was born here so he wants to keep you as allies and keep that relationship alive, well and prospering.’
Downing Street last night denied that the row over spying might sour the upcoming visit.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: ‘No. The US and UK are long- standing partners. We do more together than any two countries in the world. We share intelligence that we do not share with other allies. That unparalleled sharing of intelligence between our countries has undoubtedly saved British lives.
‘A state visit is an opportunity to strengthen our ties.’
In his tweet, Mr Trump referenced a report by the One America News Network which referred to the claims made by Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst. Mr Johnson is a controversial figure who has been accused of making a series of false allegations – including one that Michelle Obama had been recorded using a slur against white people. The allegation that GCHQ spied on the Trump campaign at the behest of the Obama administration was first made in 2017 by Andrew Napolitano, a former judge and commentator for Fox News. He claimed he had been told by intelligence sources that the Obama team had wanted to use the British agency so there would be ‘no American fingerprints’. His comments were picked up by the then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer to back up Mr Trump’s claim that the Obama administration bugged his phones. That prompted a rare public denial from GCHQ. It said: ‘Recent allegations made by Andrew Napolitano about GCHQ being asked to conduct “wiretapping” against the then president-elect are nonsense.’
‘Strengthen our ties’