WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s startling allegation that former President Barack Obama tapped his phones during last year’s election is pitting the White House against U.S. intelligence officials, sparking grave concern in law enforcement circles and alarming Democrats and Republicans alike.
A look at the controversy:
TRUMP’S ALLEGATION
On Saturday, March 4, while at his Florida estate, Trump angrily tweeted that Obama was behind a politically motivated plot to upend his campaign. He alleged that the former president conducted surveillance in October at Trump Tower, the New York skyscraper where he ran his campaign and transition. He also maintains a residence there.
He compared the alleged surveillance to “Nixon/Watergate” and “McCarthyism.” Moreover, he called Obama a “Bad (or sick) guy.”