# 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:** 55
**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:** [September 22, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1081 "2017-09-22T22:43:29Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > I thought you were looking for a cite where the media called Trumps accusation a lie? > > Also, it’s not my assertion, but I thought the news stories at the time were pretty clear that Trump was just making shit up. Didn’t realize it was a controversial issue that pretty much everyone believed that Trump was making shit up. No, I’m looking for him to back up what he claimed: > [@doorhinge](#): > > The lame stream media certainly wasted no time declaring Trump’s claim of wiretapping to be totally false/a lie/campaign shenanigans/something that hurt their feelings/etc. “Wasted no time” should not mean an article written 6 months after Trump’s declaration. And yeah, I want to see the media that actually said “this is a lie” or “this is totally false” or “this hurt our feelings”. I want to see **doorhinge** back up these assertions, because I don’t recall seeing any of it. AND I’D LOVE TO. I do recall reading and hearing that “there is no known evidence to back up this assertion” and “it sure seems like he’s pulled something out of his ass, but maybe there is some evidence of this, however unlikely it seems to be”. But I don’t recall that the overall tone of the media was just flat out declarative “this is a lie” or anything else. And since I think Mr. Trump is a buffoon, I’d love to see those video clips or read those articles, where people just lay into this clown president of ours. Hell, I’d have sought them out at the time, but I don’t recall seeing or hearing anything like what **doorhinge** described. ---
**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:** [September 22, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1082 "2017-09-22T22:48:43Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > While I prefer to see the results of an actual/real investigation into serious matters, Hannity provided a nice montage of the usual suspects dismissing Trump’s claim based on nothing other than their personal feelings/bias. > > [Brian Stelter | Mediaite](https://www.mediaite.com/tv/hannity-slams-media-says-manafort-story-vindicates-trump-youve-been-exposed-for-the-frauds-you-are/) > > The Fox News host played a montage of clips featuring CNN’s Jake Tapper and Brian Stelter, ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos and MSNBC’s Joy Reid that dismissed Trump’s claim. > > [Brian Stelter | Mediaite](https://www.mediaite.com/tv/hannity-slams-media-says-manafort-story-vindicates-trump-youve-been-exposed-for-the-frauds-you-are/) > > What happened to the Who, What, Why, When, and Where that used to be the standard of credible journalists? Has the lame stream media’s opinions/feelings become the new standard for journalism? All of those video clips that i saw feature people talking about the result of the FBI investigation into whether or not there was wiretapping and about Manafort’s testimony. That means they were taped 6 months after Trump’s tweet. You said “wasted no time” yet you offer clips with at least a 5 month latency. And they don’t say what you said people said, since repeating what the FBI said is not offering their own commentary. You said that the media “wasted no time declaring” but if what they are doing is repeating someone else’s findings, that’s hardly their declaration. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2017, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1083 "2017-09-25T18:03:11Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Wow, that’s a pretty high bar you’ve set there. You want journalists to provide factual information to prove that something didn’t happen, for which there is no evidence that it happened; and reporting that law enforcement officials denying that the thing ever happened is not counted as factual information about the event. > > Have you ever criticized Trump on this board for not providing any evidence to show that he was wiretapped, as he claimed? I’d like to see links to any of those posts of yours. What is the job of the news media outlets? Does the possibility even exist that their job is to verify the stories that they publish? You know, actually verify/investigate the claims/statements/stories made by public officials. Over the decades, I’ve noticed that public officials have been know to tell a fib now and then. Shocking, I know, but it’s true. I expect the news media outlets to actually spend the time, and make the effort, to debunk a story before they make that I-don’t-know-the-facts-but-the-President/Govenor/statement maker-acted-stupidly. AFAIK, the investigation continues. Hopefully, the news media outlets will actually help by doing a very professional job of uncovering the truth. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1084 "2017-09-25T18:10:51Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > What is the job of the news media outlets? Does the possibility even exist that their job is to verify the stories that they publish? You know, actually verify/investigate the claims/statements/stories made by public officials. > > Over the decades, I’ve noticed that public officials have been know to tell a fib now and then. Shocking, I know, but it’s true. I expect the news media outlets to actually spend the time, and make the effort, to debunk a story before they make that I-don’t-know-the-facts-but-the-President/Govenor/statement maker-acted-stupidly. > > AFAIK, the investigation continues. Hopefully, the news media outlets will actually help by doing a very professional job of uncovering the truth. When Trump said Obama wasn’t born in the U.S., do you believe that the media erred in calling that charge unfounded? ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1085 "2017-09-25T18:36:45Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > What is the job of the news media outlets? Does the possibility even exist that their job is to verify the stories that they publish? You know, actually verify/investigate the claims/statements/stories made by public officials. > > Over the decades, I’ve noticed that public officials have been know to tell a fib now and then. Shocking, I know, but it’s true. I expect the news media outlets to actually spend the time, and make the effort, to debunk a story before they make that I-don’t-know-the-facts-but-the-President/Govenor/statement maker-acted-stupidly. > > AFAIK, the investigation continues. Hopefully, the news media outlets will actually help by doing a very professional job of uncovering the truth. What are your views on Politifact, Snopes, and the like? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2017, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1086 "2017-09-25T18:40:16Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > When Trump said Obama wasn’t born in the U.S., do you believe that the media erred in calling that charge unfounded? I’m beginning to think that this thread could use a properly working turn signal. What is the job of the news media outlets? Does the possibility even exist that their job is to verify the stories that they publish? ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2017, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1087 "2017-09-25T18:45:54Z")
> [@Chisquirrel](#): > > What are your views on Politifact, Snopes, and the like? What are your views on news media outlets that do not verify their “news” stories before they begin publically pontificating on whether or not that story is true? ---
**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:** [September 25, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1088 "2017-09-25T18:47:48Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I’m beginning to think that this thread could use a properly working turn signal. > > What is the job of the news media outlets? Does the possibility even exist that their job is to verify the stories that they publish? So when Trump said that he has it on good authority that Obama fabricated his birth certificate, the media should not have challenged that statement until an investigation (by who knows who) was complete? Or does it mean that they shouldn’t have reported on Trump’s allegations until an investigation proved them correct? ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1089 "2017-09-25T22:06:56Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > > [@Ravenman](#): > > > > Wow, that’s a pretty high bar you’ve set there. You want journalists to provide factual information to prove that something didn’t happen, for which there is no evidence that it happened; and reporting that law enforcement officials denying that the thing ever happened is not counted as factual information about the event. > > What is the job of the news media outlets? Does the possibility even exist that their job is to verify the stories that they publish? You know, actually verify/investigate the claims/statements/stories made by public officials. How, other than by asking people who would be in a position to know, should the media verify that there were no wiretaps? They can’t go climbing through the ductwork of Trump Tower looking for wires - it doesn’t work that way. Trump made a preposterous claim, the media checked it out by asking people who would know, and those people all said that Trump’s claim was false. That’s the the textbook case for what verifying a story looks like. ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2017, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1090 "2017-09-25T22:48:36Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > How, other than by asking people who would be in a position to know, should the media verify that there were no wiretaps? They can’t go climbing through the ductwork of Trump Tower looking for wires - it doesn’t work that way. > > Trump made a preposterous claim, the media checked it out by asking people who would know, and those people all said that Trump’s claim was false. That’s the the textbook case for what verifying a story looks like. [Of course people who would know either lied or didn’t know what they were supposed to know.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmDXpW-4V5M) ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1091 "2017-09-26T00:07:47Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > [Of course people who would know either lied or didn’t know what they were supposed to know.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmDXpW-4V5M) Fucking youtube link . ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1092 "2017-09-27T17:00:37Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > So when Trump said that he has it on good authority that Obama fabricated his birth certificate, the media should not have challenged that statement until an investigation (by who knows who) was complete? Or does it mean that they shouldn’t have reported on Trump’s allegations until an investigation proved them correct? I expect the news media outlets to search for, and report, the truth/facts. I really don’t give a hoot what their biased “opinions” may be. I want the news media outlets to provide the Who, What, Where, Why, and When of a story. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1093 "2017-09-27T17:09:03Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > How, other than by asking people who would be in a position to know, should the media verify that there were no wiretaps? They can’t go climbing through the ductwork of Trump Tower looking for wires - it doesn’t work that way. > > Trump made a preposterous claim, the media checked it out by asking people who would know, and those people all said that Trump’s claim was false. That’s the the textbook case for what verifying a story looks like. Hahahaha. What happens when it turns out that there were “wiretaps” going on? Then it doesn’t look like those news media outlets did a very good/thorough job of verifying the story? ---
**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:** [September 27, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1094 "2017-09-27T17:21:11Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I expect the news media outlets to search for, and report, the truth/facts. I really don’t give a hoot what their biased “opinions” may be. I want the news media outlets to provide the Who, What, Where, Why, and When of a story. YMMV. That isn’t an answer. Should the media report on Trump’s conspiracy theories that have no proof or basis in fact, like his charge that Obama wasn’t born in the US? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1095 "2017-09-27T20:03:40Z")
You heard it hear, if Trump says **doorhinge** was cross-bred in a lab between a human and something that regularly eats poo, and that evidence to the contrary was fabricated, everyone should assume it’s true until the DNA test comes back. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2017, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1096 "2017-09-27T21:12:26Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > > [@CurtC](#): > > > > Trump made a preposterous claim, the media checked it out by asking people who would know, and those people all said that Trump’s claim was false. That’s the the textbook case for what verifying a story looks like. > > Hahahaha. What happens when it turns out that there were “wiretaps” going on? Then it doesn’t look like those news media outlets did a very good/thorough job of verifying the story? If that were to happen, then they print THAT news and acknowledge that their earlier sources were incorrect. Is this hard to comprehend or something? ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1097 "2017-09-28T01:18:49Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I expect the news media outlets to search for, and report, the truth/facts. I really don’t give a hoot what their biased “opinions” may be. I want the news media outlets to provide the Who, What, Where, Why, and When of a story. YMMV. So, when a person is making a ridiculous claim and what little evidence they have to support it is equally ridiculous, it’s someone else’s job to prove that it’s wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1098 "2017-09-28T09:24:49Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > So, when a person is making a ridiculous claim and what little evidence they have to support it is equally ridiculous, it’s someone else’s job to prove that it’s wrong? ISTR **doorhinge** has frequently espoused this viewpoint. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1099 "2017-09-28T11:13:51Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I want the news media outlets to provide the Who, What, Where, Why, and When of a story. YMMV. {post shortened} No fucks given for “How”? ---
**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:** [September 28, 2017, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384/1100 "2017-09-28T12:28:33Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > ISTR **doorhinge** has frequently espoused this viewpoint. Except when it is convenient to “teach the controversy.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384.md?page=54) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-accuses-obama-of-wiretapping-him/781384.md?page=56)