In his latest online rant, Trump throws some serious accusations at Barack Obama [TWEETS]

In a series of inflammatory tweets, US President Donald Trump has accused the Obama Administration of spying on him. He claims that Obama ‘wiretapped’ Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential race. But FBI director James Comey and ex-National Security Agency chief James Clapper have already hotly denied these claims.
Tweet accusations
Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!
Read on...
Support us and go ad-free— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
Very strong claims, indeed.
Facts, or allegations?
Within hours, an Obama spokesperson denied the allegations, calling them “unequivocally false“. Ex-intelligence agency chief James Clapper also blasted Trump, stating “Absolutely, I can deny it”.
Neither the justice department nor the FBI have made public statements.
To justify Trump’s confidence, White House spokesman Sean Spicer’s chief deputy Sarah Huckabee Sanders claimed Trump was:
going off of information that he’s seen that has led him to believe that this is a very real potential.
But “potential” is very different from saying “the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones”.
Another distraction technique?
Sean Spicer, meanwhile, has called for a congressional investigation. And Congress has now agreed to investigate.
If the allegations are true, it could spell disaster for both the justice department and the Obama Administration. Surveillance without adequate reason would be an abuse of executive powers.
But Trump has already been accused of lying to distract from his actions. And House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi believes he’s doing just that. She responded to the President’s latest claims by saying:
It’s called a wrap-up smear. You make up something. Then you have the press write about it. And then you say, everybody is writing about this charge. It’s a tool of an authoritarian.
If Trump is lying, it will be far from the first time. And the President should be very careful about how much he uses this technique. As the more he lies, the less people are going to believe what he says.
Get Involved!
– We actively invite you to question what you read at The Canary, to follow the hyperlinks we reference, and to search for more information. If you appreciate what we do, please consider supporting us. And remember that, to move away from a corporate-funded media and towards an independent crowdfunded media, everyone has a role to play.
– Read more Canary articles on Donald Trump. Also see our TrumpWatch articles at The Canary Global.
– See more international news on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Featured image via flickr
We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.