President Donald Trump caused controversy earlier this month when he accused former President Obama of tapping his phone at Trump Tower before the election.
His explosive tweets have caused an uproar in Washington, despite Trump’s inability to produce any evidence to back up his claim.
[brightcove:5306552276001 default]The White House has tried to soften Trump’s explosive allegation, but now a top Republican congressman has come forward to directly refute Trump’s claim.
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“We don’t have any evidence that that took place,” House of Representatives Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes told a news conference. “I don’t think there was an actual tap of Trump Tower.”
“Clearly the president was wrong,” he added, if we are to take Trump’s tweets literally. Nunes’ comments are especially striking because he is a key Republican lawmaker that was part of Trump’s transition team.
Nunes was joined at the press conference by the top democrat of the committee Adam Schiff who added that he was concerned “that the president would make such an accusation without basis.“
The Justice Department asked lawmakers last week for more time to provide evidence on the wiretap allegation. They were given a new March 20 deadline, the same day that the House Intelligence Committee holds its first open hearing on the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
James Clapper, the director of national intelligence under Obama, has said he knew of no warrant to wiretap Trump Tower.