# Trump accuses Obama of wiretapping him **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 4, 2017, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384 "2017-03-04T15:07:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/241 "2017-03-10T19:21:30Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > You claim that there is no evidence of a wiretap, that is that such evidence does not exist. But you don’t appear to be basing the non-existence of the evidence on anything more than ‘we haven’t seen it at this time’. That doesn’t show that the evidence does not exist, just that it hasn’t been found or shown yet. Are you saying that the evidence of the wiretap is a known unknown, or an unknown unknown?:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![SingleMalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/singlemalt/32/3961_2.png) [@SingleMalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleMalt)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/242 "2017-03-10T20:24:41Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > You claim that there is no evidence of a wiretap, that is that such evidence does not exist. But you don’t appear to be basing the non-existence of the evidence on anything more than ‘we haven’t seen it at this time’. That doesn’t show that the evidence does not exist, just that it hasn’t been found or shown yet. > > Basing speculation on how a congressional investigation will play out on the supposition that no new evidence will be uncovered does not seem like a very smart plan to me. Wait a minute… Aren’t you arguing the exact opposite side of this regarding Russian influence in the election? That there is no evidence of Russian influence therefore shouldn’t be an investigation? Let’s appoint an independent investigator for both, then, shall we? Let’s see what’s at the bottom of both of these barrels. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/243 "2017-03-10T21:12:36Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > The problem is that he went a little too specific to really wash it away in that fashion. “Is it legal for a sitting President to be ‘wire tapping’…”, “this is Nixon/Watergate”. I mean, I guess some people will buy it if the FBI tapped his phone but Trump clearly meant Obama personally ordered it. Yes, of course, Trump was offering up Obama to the base as _The Opponent Hiding in the Shadows: the Cause of All that is Going Wrong_. Obama! Is there no end to his vicious treachery??? Etc. What I’m not hearing from the Trump fans–here or anywhere else–is the _why_: **why** would Obama have wanted to listen in on Trump’s conversations? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/244 "2017-03-10T21:17:42Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > **why** would Obama have wanted to listen in on Trump’s conversations? To learn his secret plan to defeat ISIS, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/245 "2017-03-10T21:20:56Z")
Or to use instead of a sleeping pill, on those hard-to-drop-off nights. But is there any possible answer to the question that’s plausible? Any possible answer that’s not ridiculous? Why doesn’t that occur to the Trump fans? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/246 "2017-03-10T21:36:57Z")
Wait, seriously? Isn’t the obvious “Trump Fan” answer that Obama (a) would’ve tapped Trump’s phones in hopes of learning something that would be of use to Hillary Clinton’s campaign; but (b) Trump, either by dint of being cautious and clever or simply doing nothing wrong, wound up giving them nothing to work with? Oh, how Obama must’ve hoped to catch Trump saying something the Democrats could work with! ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/247 "2017-03-10T22:04:35Z")
> [@SingleMalt](#): > > Aren’t you arguing the exact opposite side of this regarding Russian influence in the election? That there is no evidence of Russian influence therefore shouldn’t be an investigation? Um… no? I don’t think I’ve actually said anything about whether their should be an investigation into the Russian influence, and I’m in fact in favor of the investigation. And I’m not sure how you’ve translated either my actual position or the position you think I have into the ‘exact opposite’. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/248 "2017-03-10T22:14:22Z")
Interesting Trump has made absolutely no appearances since tweeting out his unfounded accusations. He’s sent his press people out to face the media, his cabinet people out, but nothing from the big guy himself. He even skipped the EO signing ceremony this week. He usually loves those mugging-for-the-camera ceremonies. You know, those things where he grins and holds up the folder like a big boy showing he made a happy plate. “Yay! I get a brownie!” ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/249 "2017-03-10T22:23:34Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Interesting Trump has made absolutely no appearances since tweeting out his unfounded accusations. It’s nice to imagine that Trump is too embarrassed to show his face until this dies down. However, we all know he’s incapable of ever seeing that he’s done anything wrong. ---
**Author:** ![SingleMalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/singlemalt/32/3961_2.png) [@SingleMalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SingleMalt)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/250 "2017-03-10T22:32:29Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Um… no? I don’t think I’ve actually said anything about whether their should be an investigation into the Russian influence, and I’m in fact in favor of the investigation. And I’m not sure how you’ve translated either my actual position or the position you think I have into the ‘exact opposite’. Ah! Well, then, my apologies. I must have folded you into the “nothing to see here” Russian ostriches percolating through these threads. Sorry to impugn. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/251 "2017-03-10T22:33:32Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > It’s nice to imagine that Trump is too embarrassed to show his face until this dies down. > > However, we all know he’s incapable of ever seeing that he’s done anything wrong. Likely, he’s just a coward. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/252 "2017-03-11T02:22:17Z")
Part of me hopes that the FBI was conducting a fraud investigation against John Miller. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/253 "2017-03-11T04:18:25Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > It’s nice to imagine that Trump is too embarrassed to show his face until this dies down. > > However, we all know he’s incapable of ever seeing that he’s done anything wrong. President Chump ain’t showing himself anywhere he won’t be praised to high heaven. > [@Gyrate](#): > > We know Obama must have done it because there’s no evidence for it. _That just proves how sneaky he is._ Indeed. How do you know there were no wiretaps if you can’t find any? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/254 "2017-03-11T04:26:42Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > President Chump ain’t showing himself anywhere he won’t be praised to high heaven. [Look at this.](https://www.donaldjtrump.com/schedule) Can’t even appear in public facing a crowd full of non-supporters with awkward questions. > [@](#): > > - Wednesday, March 15, 2017 - > Nashville, TN > > Donald J. Trump > > Nashville Municipal Auditorium > 6:30 PM > > **Get Tickets** > > Media Request President Snowflake. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/255 "2017-03-11T06:20:53Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > Basing speculation on how a congressional investigation will play out on the supposition that no new evidence will be uncovered does not seem like a very smart plan to me. [“Benghazi!”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13L6pwjKsX0) ---
**Author:** ![sear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sear)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/256 "2017-03-11T15:53:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Trump accuses Obama of wiretapping him This dood is a phlake. Many high school students understand it’s a serious matter for a current serving U.S. president to accuse a prior U.S. president of having committed a felony. And without offering any evidence? Make the accusation first? Worry about getting the facts later? Donald Trump isn’t fit to be swing shift assistant manager at Piggly Wiggly. Setting his finger on “the button” is a MONUMENTALLY bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/257 "2017-03-11T16:28:32Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > If you can get people who don’t already hate Trump to agree with that, then it might be relevant. But the fact that someone who already doesn’t like Trump will continue to not like him after that tweet and/or the aftermath of it doesn’t make any difference. If you think that people who currently support Trump or who are neutral on Trump will believe that it is ‘a little too specific’, what do you base that belief on? It doesn’t match what I’ve seen in the responses to Trump being Trump. I think he’s a goofball but I am not one of the virulent haters. Objectively speaking, he’s clearly saying Obama was personally involved and yes I think a neutral person would see it that way. Even a Trump supporter would, frankly. A supporter would simply not believe Obama wasn’t involved even if the paper trail said it was totally at the FBI’ s initiative. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/258 "2017-03-11T16:38:49Z")
> [@sear](#): > > Donald Trump isn’t fit to be swing shift assistant manager at Piggly Wiggly. He shouldn’t even be allowed to sell boiled peanuts in the parking lot at the Hogly Wogly, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![sear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sear)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/259 "2017-03-11T16:51:59Z")
> [@](#): > > “I think he’s a goofball but I am not one of the virulent haters. Objectively speaking, he’s clearly saying Obama was personally involved” CK #257 Involved in what? A felony that didn’t happen? A felony for which not one shred of evidence has been offered? SB #258 I never liked GWB. Ironically, during his 8 year presidential tenure, numero uno on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List was UBL, because he killed ~3,000 innocent U.S. citizens. Well guess what. During those same 8 years, U.S. President GWB killed over 4,000 innocent U.S. troops. But UBL got a watery grave. And GWB gets a pension. [![](http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/c5725774c467b13b9b8771277ae74b7774e6098.JPG) ](http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/c5725774c467b13b9b8771277ae74b7774e6098.JPG) > [@](#): > > If you kill one or two, they prosecute & imprison you. If you kill 10 or 20, they put you in an insane asylum. If you kill 10 or 20 thousand, they invite you to a peace conference. I don’t care enough about Trump to hate him. But I think President Trump is not presidential. That’s not some shallow Democrat partisanship. I’m not the only one that thinks so. > [@](#): > > “I think it’s time for him [Donald Trump (“R”-NY) Republican 2016 presidential candidate] to look like a serious candidate for president.” Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) > > “I’m not there yet.” Speaker Ryan (R) confessing his mental reservation about the Republican presidential nominee who at the time of the Speaker’s comment had not received the Speaker’s support. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/260 "2017-03-11T17:22:47Z")
This thing of talking about Trump “haters” makes it seem like some sort of automatic, emotional response some people have. I’m appalled that Trump is president because, for a number of reasons I could list, he’s utterly unqualified and unsuitable for that role. And generally he’s just a bad person; with no scruples, no concern for others and no desire to better himself as a person. And once again, with this wiretap thing, he’s just thrown this accusation out there with no evidence. He’s shown utter contempt for his supporters that they would just lap this up, and, to his credit, he’s right: his supporters _are_ that stupid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384.md?page=14)