Donald Trump accuses Obama of 'wire-tapping' his office before election

[oberliner]

Source: The Guardian

Donald Trump has accused Barack Obama of “wire tapping” his offices in New York City before the presidential election in November last year, claiming the former president had overseen a “Nixon/Watergate”-style intervention.

Launching a series of tweets at 5.35am eastern time on Saturday morning, the US president said: “Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!”

He followed up that initial tweet with a string of others in the following 30 minutes that claimed Obama had defied a court rejection to tap his office, and invited a “good lawyer” to make a case against the alleged process.



Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/04/donald-trump-accuses-obama-of-wire-tapping-his-office-before-election

[jpak]

1. Koo koo, Koo koo, Koo koo

yup

[Squinch]

2. Wow. He's that guy on the street talking to himself and swatting away imaginary flies.

[coco22]

3. Oh well..

good for him.

[rpannier]

4. I heard Pres Obama tried to wire tap his office

But there was no room because of all the Putin-Russian taps and listening devices planted in it

[Kahuna7]

5. Yep. Saw that on twitter just now. He's scared that there

are transcripts of his campaign communications.

[ananda]

62. So he's getting ahead of the next ..

(imaginary) news cycle ...

[HAB911]

6. just when we thought he could not be more unhinged

[oberliner]

7. Seems like a deliberate ploy to detract attention from the Russia stuff

And to get people talking about this instead (which they are).

[Dave Starsky]

12. Of course it is.

And it doesn't look anything but ridiculous. He surely has his jimmies in a rustle over something. Hopefully, it's because he knows something bad (for him) is about to happen.

[yardwork]

68. He looks ridiculous to half of us and the other half believe him.

That's our problem right now. Half the country believes everything Trump says, no matter how absurd.

[Dave Starsky]

99. Somewhat less than half the VOTERS do.

And with only half of the eligible population even voting, that ensconces these people firmly in the minority, and don't you ever forget that.

[luvMIdog]

8. he's putting that out there for his nutty base he's disgusting

[pepperbear]

9. my favorite.....

"The same ambassador that met Jeff sessions visited the Obama WH 22 times, and 4X in the last year alone."

Uhm, I think meeting is part of the job description for both a sitting president and an ambassador to a foreign country.

[oberliner]

10. Either he is a moron

Or he knows his supporters are morons and is playing on that fact.

[Dave Starsky]

18. I suspect it's both.

The two ideas aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, it's almost always total dumbfucks like Trump who naturally assume that they're the smartest person around.

[Fritz Walter]

59. I'm no psychiatrist, but this strikes me as paranoid delusional behavior

Could this be part of 45's Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

[yardwork]

69. It's deflection. He's muddying the water. Causing doubt.

[SharonAnn]

63. The Dunning-Kruger effect. Stupid people iincapable of understanding they're stupid.

[Mars and Minerva]

86. I used to have a dog who was smart like Trump.

He adamantly refused to learn anything we tried to teach him but he taught himself to open the pantry door and eat three bags of Chocolate Chip cookies.
After a 3am and $600 visit to the Emergency Vet I had to admit he had won the battle of wits but we both paid the price.
He lived a long, happy and expensive life.

[Dave Starsky]

101. LOL.

[sarge43]

48. He's not a moron, but his supporters qualify. n/t

[Dave Starsky]

103. He is not very bright.

I have never seen him demonstrate any competence whatsoever in any subject other than bullying and cheating people, and that doesn't take much skill to do--only motivation. If he hadn't been born wealthy, he would have been in and out of a county lockup and on the street a long time ago.

[sarge43]

106. There's more than one kind of intelligence

As you say he's good at manipulation and that takes instinctive insight. Otherwise, he's a primitive who hasn't matured.

[Dave Starsky]

109. I don't even get the "good at manipulation" thing.

I've known he was a complete phony since Day One, and by "Day One", I mean since I first saw the guy back in the '80s. How anyone would ever fall under his spell of bullshit is literally incredible to me.

[paleotn]

52. Yes.

[nocalflea]

23. yep-on the record meetings-

his base is sure to ignore that point.

[milestogo]

56. Not just any doughnut.

It was a Krispy Kreme...

[Cosmocat]

79. Here is the thing

This is why we are pretty much fucked ...

1/3 of republican pods are going to in glee because of this SMOKING GUN!
1/3 of the country in the "middle" are going to come away from it thinking, "like I keep saying, both sides are equally as bad!"

It didn't start with 45 - they Rs have been working both 1/3s like the brainless twits they are like that for a quarter century now.

[cstanleytech]

87. For the short term aye we are probably fucked but this type of shit never lasts in the long run and

the ones are fault more often than not eventually have to pay the bill when its due, I just hope I can live long enough to see them pay.

[Doodley]

11. More FAKE NEWS from Trump without a shred of evidence

[unc70]

13. Trump could be right. There was a FISA warrant before election

If the FISA warrant covered him or his aides (likely), then "Obama" might have wiretapped his offices. Contemplate that possibility for a moment. It would be sweet; could also explain why FBI, et al have not shared some intelligence findings with even senior members of Congress.

[oberliner]

17. If there was a FISA warrant then that would make it legal

Correct?

[Dave Starsky]

22. It would, indeed!

And maybe he can hear more about the reasons why there would even be a FISA warrant.

[HurricaneWarning]

20. That's what I'm thinking.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

77. True...

...could also explain why FBI, et al have not shared some intelligence findings with even senior members of Congress.

Thought the same thing myself....

[cilla4progress]

107. Exactly what I'm thinking.

The FBI not Obama tapped him. And unlike Trumps admin, the FBI acted independently under Obama.

So as to sharing findings: are you saying because it is an ongoing investigation? Hillary/Comey aside.

[unc70]

110. Yes, it is an ongoing investigation at the highest levels

An investigation that might involve someone on the Gang of Eight (e.g. McConnel).

[OKNancy]

14. You know, if he was talking to someone on the other end of the convo who was tapped....

What if Donald was talking with a Russian spy-type person who the CIA/NSC was tapping. LOL then his conversations might be out there.

[Ilsa]

24. My understanding is that if the CIA, etc is listening

to a foreign agent (say from Russia) and a US citizen comes on the line, they cannot listen unless they get a warrant from a FISA court.

We have been told there are transcripts of Flynn's conversations. Therefore there must be a warrant, and something was said or done to cause IC to get a warrant.

[sharp_stick]

34. Yes that's right

I'm not sure how quickly they could get that warrant but they are to drop the call.

[SCVDem]

94. We all get an education

Thanks to Rachel!

She's good!

[NYETNYET]

15. So what does he not want us to see?

Like has been said before... don't listen to what he says, look at what he's doing. What's he trying to hide?

[Marthe48]

97. he and pruitt gutting EPA

starting Tuesday. Notice the 3 day work weeks. What a meat sack.

[LAGC]

16. Paranoia will destroy ya.

The Don is beginning to exhibit some serious signs of acute mental illness...

This is getting beyond concerning now.

[Ilsa]

26. Yeah, paranoia goes with narcissism, too.

But phone taps would not surprise me.

[avebury]

19. Obama's Govt would have no need to wire-tap Trump and Trump's people.

It would be normal for the intelligence community to be spying on the Russians. If Trump and/or any of Trump's people were talking to the Russians just what did they think would happen?

[putitinD]

32. It is meant to infuriate his base, the black man wire tapped their king.

[virgogal]

83. You actually think this is about race? Wake up.

[putitinD]

84. no, I don't and I'm sure Trump doesn't either, but his base will

[nocalflea]

35. co-conspitators talkk among themselves

-Trump to his staff,advisors etc.

[avebury]

67. What they don't realize is that, if one or more of them gets

the attention of or intellgience community through contact with Russians (who are under surveillence), they most likely give the Govt adequate grounds to request FISA warrents. Then it becomes a matter of following the breadcrumbs.

As is typical, Trump will never acknowledge the role they play in putting them in the positions they find themselves in.

[Cicada]

21. FBI may have been tracking Russia interference in US election

The FBI counters foreign spying in the US. Russia was spying on Hillary and DNC. If they had reason to suspect Trump collusion with Russian spying then maybe FBI did tap Trump phones.

[INdemo]

89. With Comey as Director of the FBI ,anything that is negative against Trump will be shredded

[HurricaneWarning]

25. Hoist on his own petard!

again.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

27. Oh, boy; I'll bet Obama is headed for the border right now to evade Federal prosecution.

Last edited Sat Mar 4, 2017, 12:47 PM - Edit history (1)

"Hurry, Michelle; there's a black Tahoe with DC plates pulling up in the driveway!"

[safeinOhio]

28. Republicans....,,,,

Always blame the Black guy.

[El Viejo]

29. Paranoia, the destroya...

...with apologies to The Kinks.

It's becoming clear that Trump is a guy who wants to be seen as president, but doesn't want the job.

It strokes his fragile needy ego, but the constant scrutiny and criticism is more than he's built to tolerate. But you have to admit, he's entertaining. Not intentionally, but still.

[tavernier]

30. Looks like they are getting very close.

Watch for more distractions to come.

P.S. - Obama spying on trump? I don't think he's ever been that bored in his life.

[nocalflea]

37. Like he didn't have better things to do.

[Thor_MN]

31. Like Nixon talking to the paintings in the White Housw, but tweeting it out to the world.

[NewRedDawn]

33. Good

If it was a FISA Warrant. You know Trumpski that you are a fucking mobster Russian Traitor.

[chelsea0011]

36. This fucking guy has to go. He is UNFIT to be President. He needs to be unpresidented, NOW!

[HoneyBadger]

38. What will Obama tweet?

[Valhallakey]

39. Is the White House digging?

If this is true and it was done legally, I wonder how they found out. Are they digging and have finally got down to the actual people who were investigating? Scary thought....

[bucolic_frolic]

40. Donnie doesn't think there's a Surveillance Society?

Naive. SAD!

Does Donnie have his own private Surveillance Army? Why wouldn't he?
CEO, billionaire, tycoon .... lots to protect.

Or is he claiming incompetence? He doesn't have a Sweeper?

Looney man.

[C_U_L8R]

42. So Donald, about your calls with Putin

May we see the transcripts and hear the tapes now?

There is also that dedicated data feed that goes from Trump Tower to Moscow... please show us the transactions that were being fed through those lines.

[BlueMTexpat]

43. If Trump is claiming this,

I would suspect that his campaign may have at least tried to "wire-tap" the Clinton campaign.

Trump projects all over the place: about "rigging" elections when he was the one doing it; making claims that the Clinton Foundation was using its funds nefariously when it is the so-called Trump Foundation that has been misusing funds, etc., etc., etc.

So what he says is a good clue to what he himself is doing - or has already done.

[watoos]

44. I sincerely hope that this is true

because that means that president Obama didn't just do this on his own. This means that president Obama had to have gone through a FISA court to eavesdrop on Trump. This means that a FISA court agreed that there was enough there there to tap the phones.
Trump had better be right that "they" found nothing which I believe the opposite. People are letting Trump know that they have the dirt on him and he should be sweating bullets if this story is true.

[metalbot]

92. There's a big assumption here

That FISA courts push back against unreasonable warrants. This has always been the inherent problem with "secret" courts, and it transcends any political implications of whether there was or was not a FISA warrant in this case.

It's also politically pretty problematic:

If there was a FISA warrant, and we found nothing, then this looks really bad.

If there was a FISA warrant, and we did find something, then the administration can simply bury it, in which case it looks bad. If we found something and it's leaked, there's almost no way to verify the authenticity.

[displacedtexan]

93. The president does not have the power to do this.

Trump, of course, has no idea that the president can't wave his hand and get a warrant to tap someone's phone.

More than likely, the EU and the US intelligence community taps of Russian spies collected phone calls, etc., and Trumpsters happened to be on the other end of the calls. Plus, if the intelligence people asked but were denied a warrant for a 2 Hop trace (permission to listen in to the person on the other end of a convo with someone who's being tapped), Trump's people would still be tapped... By other governments, including the Russian gov't.

And the president has the power to declassify the transcripts of wiretaps. Why doesn't he just do this if he can prove what he's claiming?

Trump is just batcrap crazy about this because he knows his henchmen would probably turn on him to avoid prison.

[PearliePoo2]

45. Good! If there was a FISA warrant, that means there's a 'there' there.

Now what we need is for a brave Patriot to leak it all. Let's get on with it boys and girls.

K&R

[FailureToCommunicate]

46. "Nixon/Watergate"? "McCarthyism"? Wow Donald. Transference much?

He sounds scared...and of course unhinged. What a flaky snowflake.

[George II]

47. How far is this going to go before republicans do something about it?

I suppose it wasn't Clinton by Obama who murdered Vince Foster?

[Paladin]

49. Frantic, mentally-unhinged deflection maneuver.

Pathetic!

[Nevermypresident]

50. Trump had to find out via the Breitbart story or maybe his man at the DOJ,

Sessions. Story is that Comey got the FISA warrant the middle of October...so the fact that Trump says "before the election" is curious.

In any case, intercepting communications at Trump campaign headquarters is legit with the FISA warrant. I understand the warrant covered certain campaign officials as well as the server at Trump Tower.

Trump will never admit that getting the FISA warrant required the FBI to prove probable cause. Great job Donald...hoping to incite your ignorant base by blaming it all on Obama. Sigh

[Squinch]

51. LOOK! A SQUIRREL!

[watoos]

53. Ruh Roh, he found where they hid his phone

Something is up here. This is a big mistake for Trump to do this unless he is about to come crashing down. Why would he keep the spotlight on the Russian-collusion scandal?

I hope this news doesn't ruin his golf game today, BRAHAHAHA.

[tavernier]

60. It won't - he cheats.

[malthaussen]

54. My definition of Hell...

... would be having to listen to that clown's mouth-drool 24/7.

Or 24/5, since he spends his weekends in Florida,

-- Mal

[Progressive dog]

55. Donald Trump is tweeting photos of leading Democrats

and Russian officials together in the same place and equating it with secret meetings between Trump campaign officials meeting with Russian intelligence while the Russian government is working illegally to get Trump elected. So in Trump's case a crime has been committed, Trump and his campaign had motive and are willing to risk perjury charges to hide evidence. In the Democrat's case, there is no alleged crime.
But known serial liar and psychopath, so-called human known as Trump, tweets and the media focus shifts to more random self serving bird crap from his small thumbs.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

57. Mr. Minority President tRump: Put up or shut up. . . . nt

[Maeve]

58. Wait--the king of torts is looking for a 'good lawyer'????

Cuz he doesn't know any that are any good?

[Rorey]

73. Well he probably never paid the ones he used

So they won't take his cases anymore.

[NewRedDawn]

61. Thought you PUTINPUBLICANS

were so smart that no one could penetrate your phones, data bases, emails, etc. Didn't you say that Comarade Trumpski?

[Rorey]

74. Good point

[leftyladyfrommo]

64. Wow. This just keeps getting better. nt

[drm604]

65. We already knew he was crazy.

Congress, do your duty.

[randome]

66. "Turned down by court" and "nothing found".

He is definitely losing it. I no longer have any doubt.

Sweet.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Precision and concision. That's the game.[/center][/font][hr]

[mgardener]

70. Has he signed an order

That prevents wiretapping of others?
Thought not.
Polices put in place by a Republican POTUS.
Now they are complaining?

[duncang]

71. Maybe putin can hire him a "good Lawyer" nt

[AllaN01Bear]

72. give me a break man. what planet r u on.

[COLGATE4]

75. That's one serious bunch of Cra-Cra there.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

76. K&R nt

[maryellen99]

78. I've noticed Trump always goes on these Twitter rants

When his daughter and son in law are observing the Sabbath.

[mvd]

80. I would say Nixon-like paranoia, but this makes Nixon look normal

Trump has now TOTALLY lost it.

[GWC58]

81. This administration is

COO COO for COCA PUFFS!

[Recursion]

82. Yup. This confirms the FISA warrant reporting from before the election. Probably why he couldn't

replace Comey, too.

[heaven05]

85. they are setting things up

for the total takeover by the Terrible Triumvirate to rule without constraints or limitations. Giving generals the ok to start a war without civilian consultation. That's totally insane. George C. Scott in, 'Dr. Strangelove' anyone...??? These three are the worst thing ever to happen to this country. I sure hope the voters for this clown are proud of the fact that they put madmen in the nations highest office. I am angry, angry, angry angry.

[joet67]

88. He's such a genius. Wait until he figures out it was authorized by a FISA court, and has

been going on for some time.

[DefenseLawyer]

90. If you call someone in Russia who is being wiretapped

It does not mean your phone was tapped. It means you were calling a lot of Russians, and guess what? We tap their phone calls.

[Glimmer of Hope]

91. What? I haven't had my coffee yet.

[PSPS]

95. FISA warrants are top secret.

As President, trump is not required to have any security clearance (his election is considered sufficient) so he has full access to FISA actions. So, if this is true, it means that trump breached security protocol. There's no legal remedy for doing this, of course, since the entire security system is a function of the administrative branch. Nevertheless, this is a remarkable "tell."

Having said that, these tweets from the toilet are often a reaction to something he's watched on TV or heard on the radio. I was wondering where it might have come from if that were the case here. I was thinking Alex jones or something like that, but news reports say that this notion has been going around on breitbart for a while.

[Blue Idaho]

96. Full blown Paranoia

Trump is having a psychotic episode...

[sarcasmo]

98. Delusional as usual.

[Paladin]

100. Because all big news stories are launched via tweet at 5:35 AM Saturday.

If there were anything to this story---anything---trump's handlers would have arranged for a solemn Monday morning press conference to announce it. That won't stop a butt-load of trump morons accepting it as the gospel truth......

[nancy1942]

102. Rave on, you loon.

[guillaumeb]

104. On the one hand,

we have the President, who is authorized to act in defense of the nation, possibly using a FISA Court to approve a wiretap, a FISA Court that was established by the GOP. And the President was acting in response to numerous reports from 16 intelligence agencies that the Russian Government was attempting to influence the US elections.

On the other hand, we have a President who has numerous ties to Russian Banks, his Cabinet appointments also have many Russian ties, his son-in-law has Russian ties, a President who refuses to release tax documentation that might prove the Russian connections,

and the distraction factor is evident.

As is Trump's increasing desperation.

[underpants]

105. Tiptoeing toward Howard Hughes territory, because he's at most about 5 full footsteps away.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

115. Recapping what I said a few weeks ago: buy stock in Kimberly-Clark, the makers of Kleenex. NT

[JenniferJuniper]

108. Paranoia strikes deep

Let's hope the men come and take him away.

[Eugene]

111. This confirms that Trump is both unhinged and gullible.

It has long been obvious that Trump consumes the craziest
right wing claims and theories unfiltered by critical thinking.
This time it appears to be Mark Levin by way of Breitbart.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028744404

Trump is a puppet. Bannon and the Breitbart Gang are
his puppeteers with possible influence from Moscow.

[oberliner]

116. Yep

Usually his unhinged tweets are inspired by Fox or Breitbart.

[Plucketeer]

112. Trump & crew

Are like a Kamikazi plane. Hurtling towards the SS United States with the intent to tear it asunder. It's beginning to look as tho our gunners have a bead on them as they plummet. I just hope they're blown to smithereens and fall into shark-infested waters.

[KittyWampus]

113. THANKS, Obama!

LOL

[Sancho]

114. It was the DC police tapping the call girl lines...who would guess it ended at Trump Towers?!?!