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Justice Dept. delivers documents on
wiretap claim to Congress
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 [March 18, 2017]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.
Justice Department on Friday said it delivered documents to
congressional committees responding to their request for information
that could shed light on President Donald Trump's claims that former
President Barack Obama ordered U.S. agencies to spy on him.
The information was sent to the House and Senate intelligence and
judiciary committees, said Sarah Isgur Flores, a Justice Department
spokeswoman.
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Republican Devin
Nunes, said in a statement late on Friday that the Justice Department
had "fully complied" with the panel's request.
A government source, who requested anonymity when discussing sensitive
information, said an initial examination of the material turned over by
the Justice Department indicates that it contains no evidence to confirm
Trump's claims that the Obama administration had wiretapped him or the
Trump Tower in New York.
The House Intelligence Committee will hold a hearing on Monday on
allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. election. Federal Bureau of
Investigation Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director
Mike Rogers will testify and are expected to field questions on Trump's
wiretap claim.
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President Donald Trump
speaks during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela
Merkel in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S.,
March 17, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Leaders of both the House and Senate intelligence committees, including
from Trump's Republican Party, have said they have found no evidence to
substantiate Trump's claims that Obama ordered U.S. agencies to spy on
Trump or his entourage. The White House has publicly offered no proof of
the allegation.
On Monday, the House panel sent the Justice Department a letter
asking for copies of any court orders related to Trump or his
associates which might have been issued last year under an
electronic surveillance law or a wide-ranging anti-crime statute.
(Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Additional reporting by Eric Beech;
Editing by Warren Strobel, Howard Goller and Lisa Shumaker)
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