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| FBI Director James Comey at House Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington |
The head of the FBI said on Monday he had seen no evidence to support a claim by US President Donald Trump that former president Barack Obama had wiretapped his 2016 election campaign.
Before FBI Director James Comey began his testimony to the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, Republican chairman Devin Nunes said it was possible other means of surveillance had been used against Trump.
The committee is investigating accusations that Russia tried to influence the 2016 election by hacking Democratic operatives and releasing embarrassing information. The surveillance allegation became an issue when Trump earlier this month accused Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower in New York, which housed the campaign headquarters for the Republicanโs surprise election win against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
โWith respect to the presidentโs tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those tweets,โ Comey told the congressional hearing.
โAnd we have looked carefully inside the FBI. The Department of Justice has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the Department of Justice and all its components: the department has no information that supports those tweets,โ he said.
Comey also confirmed the agency is investigating possible Russian government efforts to interfere in the election, including any links between Trumpโs campaign and Moscow.
Russia denies it attempted to influence the Nov 8 presidential election.
Nunes had opened the hearing by denying Trumpโs wiretapping claim but did not rule out other surveillance methods.
โWe know there was not a physical wiretap of Trump Tower,โ he said. โHowever, itโs still possible that other surveillance activities were used against President Trump and his associates.โ
