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March 4 (UPI) -- Former President Barack Obama on Saturday dismissed claims by President Donald Trump the Obama administration tapped the phones in Trump Tower in the weeks prior to the November election. Obama's spokesman Kevin Lewis said, "a cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice."
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"As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false."
Early Saturday, Trump released a series of four tweets with the accusation. He cited no evidence for his comments accusing Obama of orchestrating a "Nixon/Watergate" plot.
"How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!" he said, adding the tap "found nothing."
Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
Is it legal for a sitting President to be "wire tapping" a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017Advertisement
I'd bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
Trump did not make it clear what he was referencing regarding wiretapping or where the information originated, but it may be linked to suggestions the Obama administration used "police state" tactics to monitor Trump and his team during the election, the Washington Post reported.
About an hour after those tweets, Trump slammed film star and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who announced he won't return for a second season as host of The Celebrity Apprentice.
"Arnold Schwarzenegger isn't voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show," Trump tweeted.
