In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Chairman Devin Nunes (Rep-Calif), stated that there is irrefutable proof that the Obama administration did eavesdrop on Trump personnel in the course of surveillance on foreign targets. Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee investigating the issue, promised that this proof will come to light within the next few days, laying to rest the harsh criticism of the president’s claim that his predecessor had wiretapped his conversations while campaigning.
The saga began three weeks ago when President Trump accused former President Barack Obama on Twitter of wiretapping his home phone during the last presidential campaign.
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
Trump was criticized for what many thought was an absurd claim. But some of the fire was averted at a news conference on Wednesday, when Nunes claimed to have seen documents showing that members of Trump’s transition team were the subjects of “incidental surveillance”. This means that people on Trump’s team contacted foreign subjects who were the focus of legitimate and legal surveillance, and these conversations were recorded.
President Trump responded to Nunes’ statements by saying to the media that he felt feels “somewhat” vindicated.
“I very much appreciated the fact that they found what they found,” Trump said in a press conference.
The National Security Agency (NSA) is expected to produce documents pertaining to an investigation into the matter to the House Intelligence Committee by Friday. One source from the NSA told Fox that the documents would contain a “smoking gun” that would show incontrovertible proof of illegal wiretapping of the Trump transition team.
During legal surveillance of foreign targets, intelligence agencies do observe and record American citizens, but the identities of the Americans must be obscured in all subsequent documentation in order to protect their legal rights.
There have been no claims of evidence supporting Trump’s statement, that his conversations were recorded. Yet the edge to the criticism of the president has been considerably dulled as clear signs of some basis is confirmed.
In connection to the incident, FBI Director James Comey confirmed earlier in the week that his organisation was investigating alleged improper links between the Trump transition team and Russian officials.
