House Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) said on Sunday that his committee will “make inquiries” into whether President Barack Obama’s administration eavesdropped on campaign officials before the 2016 election, as President Donald Trump has baselessly claimed it did.
“One of the focus points of the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation is the U.S. government’s response to actions taken by Russian intelligence agents during the presidential campaign,” Nunes said in a statement. “As such, the Committee will make inquiries into whether the government was conducting surveillance activities on any political party’s campaign officials or surrogates, and we will continue to investigate this issue if the evidence warrants it.”
In a series of tweets posted early Saturday, Trump baselessly claimed that Obama was “wire tapping” his phones at Trump Tower before the 2016 election. He offered no evidence to support his allegations.
A spokesperson for Obama rejected Trump’s claims later the same day, saying in a statement that “neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen.”
The White House nevertheless called on Sunday for Congress to investigate Trump’s allegations as part of its probe into election interference by Russia.
“Neither the White House nor the President will comment further until such oversight is conducted,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer said.