A timeline of Trump’s unsubstantiated wiretapping claims

“If he didn’t do it we shouldn’t be reckless in accusations that he did”, the Republican lawmaker from Oklahoma added. Since then, Trump has said he was speaking more generally about possible surveillance methods besides wiretaps.

Burr and Warner were among eight senior congressional leaders briefed Friday by FBI Director James Comey.

During a media briefing at the White House, presidential spokesman Sean Spicer drew reporters’ attention to comments made earlier this week on Fox News TV by former judge Andrew Napolitano in relation to Mr Trump’s controversial claim that wiretaps had been installed at his NY residence.

This has sparked fury in London.

“He used GCHQ”, Spicer said, again quoting Fox News.

“By the way, my second question, are there from time to time tweets that you regret”, a German reporter asked. “Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now president of the United States as surveilled at any time, any way”.

It actually reports that law enforcement were examining intercepted communications between Russian officials and associates of President Trump, as part of a counterintelligence investigation against Russian interests interfering in the USA election.

After the news conference Spicer echoed Trump’s defiant tone. And documents the White House submitted to the committees on Friday didn’t appear likely to change that assessment. And, by the way, the CIA-I just want people to know-the Central Intelligence Agency was hacked and a lot of things taken. All because Trump got bored one morning.

He could hardly have missed Merkel straining for diplomacy in some of those remarks.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions: “Look, the answer is no”, the Sessions said Wednesday when asked whether he had given Trump any reason “to believe that he was wiretapped by the previous Administration”.

Her pitch came after Trump earlier had declared the two countries “must work together toward fair – but reciprocal – trade policies that benefit both our peoples”.

On the major issues, Merkel sought at least a rhetorical sense of common ground.

Obama would not have needed a warrant to authorize surveillance on Trump.

“L$3 et’s see whether or not I prove it”, he said.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeated a claim first made by a Fox News pundit as he attempted to blitz media with a series of reports and comments hinting at surveillance to justify his boss’s unfounded tweets.

“The more the left push him, the further right he will go”.

Trump has tried to create some wiggle room by repealing and replacing the meaning of words.

GCHQ rarely comments on security matters, but used strong language to rebut the suggestion.