FBI Director James Comey is expected to offer definitive rebuke of Trump wiretap

FBI Director James Comey is expected to offer definitive rebuke of Trump wiretap

President Donald Trump says his White House shouldn't be blamed for quoting a Fox News analyst who accused British intelligence of helping former President Barack Obama spy on him. (March 17) AP

WASHINGTON — In much anticipated public remarks, FBI Director James Comey on Monday is expected to offer the most definitive repudiation yet of President Trump's claims that the Obama administration wiretapped his New York offices in advance of the November election.

Comey, who privately encouraged Justice Department officials to refute Trump's claims soon after they appeared in a series of March 4 tweets, is slated to testify before the House Intelligence Committee, along with National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers.

Although Trump, as recently as Friday, has continued to defend the extraordinary allegations, House and Senate leaders briefed by the FBI director in recent days have flatly denied such surveillance existed in bipartisan joint statements, leaving the White House virtually alone in asserting such claims.

“I expect (Comey) will, and I hope we will put an end to this wild goose chase,'' California Rep. Adam Schiff, the House committee's ranking Democrat, told NBC's Meet The Press Sunday. "What the president said is patently false and the wrecking ball it created has now banged into the British allies and German allies and continuing to grow in terms of damage.''

Schiff referred to Trump's Friday remarks during a joint White House appearance with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, where the president once again defended his wiretap contention.

"As far as wiretapping, I guess by this past (Obama) administration, at least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump quipped, referring to disclosures during the Obama administration that Merkel's private communications were being monitored by U.S. intelligence.

The wiretap accusation also triggered a diplomatic row with another ally, as Trump and aides cited a discredited report by Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano that Obama asked a British intelligence agency to tap Trump. The British government objected and the Trump administration pledged not to use the claim again. Asked about the flap, Trump said: "That was a statement made by a very talented lawyer on Fox, and so you shouldn't be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox. OK?"

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one of several Republicans who have questioned the president's allegations, said on NBC's Meet The Press that "I don't know the basis for President Trump's assertion," and "I do believe he owes us that explanation."

The high-stakes House hearing also is looking into efforts by Russia to influence last year's election by hacking Democratic officials close to nominee Hillary Clinton, the subject of an ongoing investigation by the FBI. During an appearance on Fox News, House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said he has seen no evidence of collusion between Trump associates and the Russians during the election.

The committee hearing comes a little more than two weeks after Trump leveled his accusations against Obama in an early Saturday morning tweetstorm. One tweet said: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"

The charges brought furious denials from Obama aides — who pointed out that the law forbids presidents from ordering wiretaps — to a diplomatic flap with the United Kingdom, which protested claims by Trump allies that the British may have been involved in the wiretapping.

Nunes said Monday's hearing would also look into the possibly illegal leaking of national security information since Trump's election in November. The Intelligence Committee chairman cited the case of former national security adviser Michael Flynn, dismissed by Trump for mischaracterizing his discussions with the Russian ambassador to the United States.

House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes and ranking member Adam Schiff speak to the media about the committee's investigation into Russian interference in the U.S. election on March 15, 2017. (Photo: Mark Wilson, Getty Images)

Trump and aides have also denied any connection to Russians who sought to hack Democratic officials during last year's election and said opponents are leaking derogatory information against them as part of a "witch hunt" to undermine the presidency.

For Comey, Monday's hearing represents another unusually high-profile role for the FBI director. Comey was harshly criticized by Republicans for the public announcement in July that he was not recommending criminal charges against Clinton for her use of a private email server while secretary of State. He drew the wrath of Democrats in October for announcing that the bureau was reopening its email review, 11 days before the presidential election.

Since Trump made the disputed claims, he and aides have sought to redefine the terms of his accusations. While Trump used the term "wire tapping," he and his aides say that now refers to "surveillance" in general.

A number of Republicans have expressed skepticism about Trump's tweets on Obama. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told Fox News Sunday that he has seen no evidence of wiretapping Trump Tower and said he is leaving it to committees to investigate.

"I want to get on with passing our agenda," Ryan said.