# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/81 "2017-03-05T15:32:43Z")
The problem is: When do we take Trump seriously? Crane ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/82 "2017-03-05T16:15:27Z")
> [@Crane](#): > > The problem is: > > When do we take Trump seriously? > > Crane Unfortunately we can already take him seriously. Serious as a heart attack considering the XO’s he makes as long as there is ink in a pen. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/83 "2017-03-05T16:18:15Z")
I’m very resistant to knee-jerk Facebook nonsense like, “Here are signs that Trump is mentally ill.” But if some sort of evidence isn’t forthcoming on this right quick, I think it might actually be time to question the stability of some of the people in power. ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/84 "2017-03-05T16:31:28Z")
We are at least at the ‘we have a problem’ stage. Crane ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/85 "2017-03-05T17:02:02Z")
What I can’t get over is that he’s too stupid to realize that he just makes things worse for himself. The damned bar is so low that reading off a teleprompter is enough to get him described as “presidential.” But he just can’t keep his damned fool mouth shut! ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/86 "2017-03-05T18:02:27Z")
As of this morning there is a flat denial from James Clapper to any wiretapping in trump tower. So if it happened it would have gone from the President around the Director of National Intelligence or some how avoided the NSA, FBI and CIA completely. At this point either Obama did something truely terrible or trump is insane I don’t see how there could be a middle ground after that interview. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/87 "2017-03-05T18:13:31Z")
It certainly is feasible that someone investigating Russian activity might be led to trump just by following the data. A tap could have been done, not at Obama’s instigation, but as a part of normal counter-intelligence activity. Such information might make it to the desk of the AG. Maybe the Lynch-Bill Clinton “airport meeting” was never about Hillary’s problems, but her giving Bill a “heads up” about this. ---
**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 5, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/88 "2017-03-05T18:20:06Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > At this point either Obama did something truely terrible or trump is insane I don’t see how there could be a middle ground after that interview. Well, can’t Trump just be dishonest? Like, imagine enough of the public eats this latest accusation of his up with a spoon. Since I can’t readily rule out that possibility, it’s possible that Trump just says a bunch of stuff in hopes of getting people to suspect that maybe Obama _did_ wiretap the guy, and suddenly everybody is talking about _that_ instead of whether Jeff Sessions committed perjury and thus and such. I mean, granted, sure, Trump could be insane. But why rule out mere dishonesty? ---
**Author:** ![Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pearl_Clutching_Provocateur)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/89 "2017-03-05T18:41:03Z")
> [@davida03801](#): > > The Obama administration unleashed the IRS on his political opponents. They also wire tapped reporters. Not much of a leap to think that he would also put a wiretap on Trump. > > It remains to be documented absolutely, but to imagine this happening is not difficult. I’ve always contended that establishment Republicans were also accomplices in covering up the Lois Lerner/ IRS scandal to target the Tea Party. Remember they took out guys like establishment guys like Eric Cantor. I wouldn’t be surprised if establishment Republicans like Lindsey Graham worked with Democrats for this wiretap. Remember it’s Trump and the American people versus the rest of the world. ---
**Author:** ![sear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sear)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/90 "2017-03-05T18:43:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Trump’s ‘evidence’ for Obama wiretap claims relies on sketchy, anonymously sourced reports > Washington Post - ‎53 minutes ago‎ As soon as the PROOF is available, President Obama should be NAILED TO THE WALL for it. UNTIL the PROOF is presented, the Trump administration is merely flapping gums. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/91 "2017-03-05T18:51:28Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > As of this morning there is a flat denial from James Clapper to any wiretapping in trump tower. James Clapper is a perjurer. His word is worth nothing specifically because we’ve known for four years that when he says he’s not wiretapping Americans, _he’s lying_. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/92 "2017-03-05T18:59:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Take Nixon in the deepest days of his Watergate paranoia, subtract 50 IQ points, add Twitter, and you have Trump today. [Bruce Bartlett‏](https://twitter.com/BruceBartlett/status/838036457428221952) - Former aide to Ron Paul, Jack Kemp, Ronald Reagan & George HW Bush ---
**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 5, 2017, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/93 "2017-03-05T19:05:46Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > James Clapper is a perjurer. His word is worth nothing specifically because we’ve known for four years that when he says he’s not wiretapping Americans, _he’s lying_. But the same can be said of Donald Trump. How do you reconcile this, then? They can’t both be lying about exactly the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/94 "2017-03-05T19:08:16Z")
As Bartlett‏ also said: “The left needs to decide whether Trump is a total moron or a criminal mastermind. He can’t be both. I’ll stick with stupid.” ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/95 "2017-03-05T19:10:56Z")
> [@sear](#): > > “Trump’s ‘evidence’ for Obama wiretap claims relies on sketchy, anonymously sourced reports” > Washington Post" Kinda like all the breathless NYT and WaPo articles about Trump’s campaign collusion with Russians and other sundry Russian shenanigans always rely on sketchy, anonymously sourced reports? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/96 "2017-03-05T19:11:53Z")
> [@RitterSport](#): > > Hopefully not the CIA because I don’t think they are supposed to operate within the US. That would be a scandal in itself. But if they were tapping someone abroad and Trump happened to call them… ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/97 "2017-03-05T19:15:43Z")
trump could be a total moron with criminal masterminds in his entourage. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/98 "2017-03-05T19:34:06Z")
On Meet the Press today, Chuck Schumer said Trump is “in trouble” whether the allegations are true or not. Via TPM: > [@](#): > > If he falsely spread this kind of misinformation, that is so wrong," Schumer told Chuck Todd on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” > > He said that doing so is “beneath the dignity of the presidency” and “really hurts people’s view of government.” > > “On the other hand, if it’s true, it’s even worse for the President,” he said. “Because that means that a federal judge, independently elected, has found probable cause that the President, or people on his staff, had probable cause to have broken the law or to have interacted with a foreign agent.” > > “So either way, the President makes it worse with these tweets,” Schumer said. “And either way, Chuck, the President’s in trouble.” > **[Schumer: Trump Is ‘In Trouble’ Whether His Wiretap Claims Are True Or Not](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/chuck-schumer-trump-is-in-trouble-wiretap-claims)** > > Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Sunday that President Donald Trump is "in trouble" whether his claims that President Barack Obama's administration obtained a wiretap on Trump Tower… ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/99 "2017-03-05T19:36:28Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > trump could be a total moron with criminal masterminds in his entourage. Criminal masterminds do not hitch their wagon to, nor build their cunning plans around _total morons_. I don’t know for sure but would surmise that’s one of the first rules in the How to Be a Successful Criminal Mastermind handbook. People need to stop assuming there’s a there there. There isn’t. There’s just the orange jackass who isn’t fit to shovel shit from one place to another, his minions and various opportunists. ---
**Author:** ![computergeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@computergeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/computergeek)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/100 "2017-03-05T19:46:32Z")
Media reports say that Trump is fuming to his aides and stands by his tweets. The guy is an utter moron and believes any conspiracy article and website that fits his worldview. People should be ignoring his idiot tweets, but somehow it’s going to end up forcing the Republicans to investigate the Russian stuff even if they don’t really want to right now and he’s going to end up with egg on his face, either by revealing he or some of his people colluded with the Russians or something else that wasn’t quite legal. The problem is that he’s managed to get the press to talk about maybe Obama did something illegal, shifting from Trump’s own Russian problems. But if he insists on pushing an investigation of this, his own stuff is going to come out, because it’s all related to Russia. It could be something as simple as lying that his people met with the Russians for benign purposes or nefarious as collusion on the election or laundering some money. But Trump doesn’t like to admit to any wrongdoing so he denies and doubles down and it makes things worse for him. I have a bad feeling he’s going to push this into a full-blown crisis. Of course, if it ends up revealing everything that’s known or findable on any Russian stuff, that might be a good thing. On the other hand, all this Russian stuff is taking away from regular governing or in Trump’s case, dismantling of various government functions and attention is not being paid to that [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384.md?page=6)