Statement from White House Press Secretary on POTUS Request Relating to Russian Investigation pic.twitter.com/vDyxafcBV8
— Jon-Christopher Bua (@JCBua) March 5, 2017
RADDATZ: Was the principal source the Breitbart story, which links to The New York Times? But The New York Times doesn't say anything definitive. Donald Trump does. There is nothing equivocating about what he says. "I just found out that Obama had my wires tapped."
That's not look into something. He says it happened.
HUCKABEE SANDERS: Look, I think the bigger thing is you guys are always telling us to take the media seriously. Well, we are today. We're taking the reports that places like The New York Times, FOX News, BBC, multiple outlets have reported this. All we're saying is let's take a closer look. Let's look into this. If this happened, if this is accurate, this is the biggest overreach and the biggest scandal.
RADDATZ: The president of the United States is accusing the former president of wiretapping him.
SANDERS: I think that this is, again, something that if this happened, Martha.
RADDATZ: If, if, if, if.
SANDERS: I agree.
RADDTAZ: Why is the president saying it did happen?
(snip)
SANDERS: Look, I think he's made very clear what he believes. And he's asking that we get down to the bottom of this. Let's get the truth here. Let's find out. I think the bigger story isn't who reported it, but is it true? And I think the American people have a right to know if this happened, because if it did, again this is the largest abuse of power that I think we is have ever seen.
RADDATZ: OK. Let me just say one more time. The president said, I bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October. So the president believes it is true?
SANDERS: I would say that his tweet speaks for itself there.
WH spox claims there have been multiple reports prompting Trump's claims. About Obama wiretapping him? That's false. pic.twitter.com/dWViNN3qRj
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) March 5, 2017
WATCH: White House spokeswoman @SarahHuckabee responds to @GStephanopoulos' question on evidence of Pres. Trump's Pres. Obama wiretap claim pic.twitter.com/zbwIwb8SjN
— Good Morning America (@GMA) March 6, 2017
CHUCK TODD: Let me start with the President's tweets yesterday, this idea that maybe President Obama ordered an illegal wiretap of his offices. If something like that happened, would this be something you would be aware of?
JAMES CLAPPER: I would certainly hope so. I can't say-- obviously, I'm not, I can't speak officially anymore. But I will say that, for the part of the national security apparatus that I oversaw as DNI, there was no such wiretap activity mounted against-- the president elect at the time, or as a candidate, or against his campaign. I can't speak for other Title Three authorized entities in the government or a state or local entity.
CHUCK TODD: Yeah, I was just going to say, if the F.B.I., for instance, had a FISA court order of some sort for a surveillance, would that be information you would know or not know?
JAMES CLAPPER: Yes.
CHUCK TODD: You would be told this?
JAMES CLAPPER: I would know that.
CHUCK TODD: If there was a FISA court order--
JAMES CLAPPER: Yes.
CHUCK TODD: --on something like this.
JAMES CLAPPER: Something like this, absolutely.
CHUCK TODD: And at this point, you can't confirm or deny whether that exists?
JAMES CLAPPER: I can deny it.
CHUCK TODD: There is no FISA court order?
JAMES CLAPPER: Not-- not to know my knowledge.
CHUCK TODD: Of anything at Trump Tower?
JAMES CLAPPER: No.
CHUCK TODD: Well, that's an important revelation at this point.
Title III establishes warrant procedures consistent with the Fourth Amendment.
General Provisions. Title III prohibits the intentional actual or attempted:
• interception,
• use,
• disclosure, or
• "procure[ment] [of] any other person to intercept or endeavor to intercept" any wire, oral, or electronic communication.
Exceptions: The Act provides exceptions for operators and service providers for uses "in the normal course of his employment while engaged in any activity which is a necessary incident to the rendition of his service" and for "persons authorized by law to intercept wire, oral, or electronic communications or to conduct electronic surveillance, as defined in section 101 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978." 18 U.S.C. § 2511.
The Act also prohibits the use of illegally obtained communications as evidence. 18 U.S.C. § 2515.
An Obama spokesperson yesterday denied the former president's involvement, saying: "A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice. As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false."
It's the attorney general, not the president, who signs off on applications for a wiretap warrant. In foreign intelligence cases, those applications must be approved by the FISA court -- a secret tribunal with the authority to grant warrants for electronic surveillance of any "foreign power or agent of a foreign power" engaged in espionage or terrorism.
.@charliespiering @heatstreet although we never reported any wiretaps at Trump Tower. Suggest he's seen a transcript he bigly hates (BBC) pic.twitter.com/oHYlN8RctJ
— Louise Mensch (@LouiseMensch) March 6, 2017