Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Wednesday that he found no evidence the FBI wiretapped anyone other than former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page in connection with its Russia investigation.
Horowitz’s comments at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing refuted a series of tweets sent by President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe Hill’s Morning Report – Sponsored by AdvaMed – House panel expected to approve impeachment articles Thursday Democrats worried by Jeremy Corbyn’s UK rise amid anti-Semitism Warren, Buttigieg duke it out in sprint to 2020 MORE in March 2017 in which he claimed that Obama had his “wires tapped” at Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign.
“Did your investigation identify any evidence President Obama ordered the FBI to tap Donald Trump’s phone?” asked Sen. Christopher CoonsChristopher (Chris) Andrew CoonsDOJ inspector general refutes Trump claim that Obama tapped his wires Live coverage: DOJ inspector general testifies on Capitol Hill The real US patent ‘crisis’ MORE (D-Del.), after citing Trump’s tweets from 2017.
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“We didn’t find any evidence the FBI had tapped any other phones or anything else other than the FISA that we addressed,” Horowitz responded, referring to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to surveil Page.
Trump tweeted in March 2017 that he “[j]ust found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory,” calling it “terrible.”
”Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!” Trump wrote.
Trump has claimed that the FBI improperly “spied” on his campaign in 2016, and railed against the bureau during a campaign rally in Hershey, Pa., on Tuesday evening.
Horowitz’s report on his findings regarding alleged surveillance abuse during the election harshly criticized the FBI over its handling of the Page warrant, claiming the application to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court was riddled with omissions and inaccuracies.
At the same time, Horowitz’s report — which was released Monday — found no bias in the FBI’s decision to open investigations into Trump campaign associates and concluded that the investigation was adequately predicated.