The Latest: White House wants probe of wiretap allegations

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's claim that then-President Barack Obama had Trump's telephones tapped during last year's election (all times EST):

9:50 a.m.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders called for a congressional investigation of allegations that the former Obama administration ordered wiretaps of Trump Tower during the last presidential campaign. But Sanders refused to say where the current president got his information or why he blamed the former president.

Sanders says on ABC's "This Week": "If they're going to investigate Russia ties, let's include this as part of it. That's what we're asking."

Sanders would not elaborate on what the president meant, saying his tweets speak for themselves. She also would not say exactly where the president got his information.

Without being specific, Sanders says Trump is "going off information that he's seen that have led him to believe that. ... And if it is, this is the greatest overreach and the greatest abuse of power that I think we've ever seen and a huge attack on democracy itself."

___

9:15 a.m.

The White House says it wants the congressional committees that are investigating Russian interference in last year's U.S. presidential election to also examine whether "executive branch investigative powers" were abused in 2016.

That's a reference to President Donald Trump's claim in a series of Saturday tweets that former President Barack Obama had telephones at Trump Tower wiretapped.

Trump has offered no evidence or details to support his claim, and Obama's spokesman has denied it.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer says there'll be no further White House comment until the committees conclude their work.

(This story has not been edited by economictimes.com and is auto–generated from a syndicated feed we subscribe to.)
Stay on top of business news with The Economic Times App. Download it Now!
FROM AROUND THE WEB

Grab a bite. Order food online on holachef

HolaChef

Use TDSPro to manage your TDS quarterly returns easily

Sinewave

Launching 2 BHKs in Hiranandani Gardens

Hiranandani Developers Castle Rock

MORE FROM ECONOMIC TIMES

Think PAN is only for tax purposes? Find out

Entertainment

Science & Technology

From Around the WebMore from The Economic Times

Save tax with pride, invest in ELSS

Principal Mutual Fund

Club Mahindra membership-Get a free iPhone7*

Club Mahindra

Give your parents the best place to live

Gagan Lifespace - Nulife

Bombay Realty's 3/4BHKs start @7.5 cr - Dadar

Bombay Realty

Scooter's back, with new hero on road

Nokia, Airtel join hands on 5G, IoT applications

Corporate & Industry

Advertising & Marketing