DOJ Sends Congress Information On Trump's Dubious Wiretap Claim

It's not clear what potential evidence the department has provided ahead of the FBI's testimony.
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WASHINGTON ― The Justice Department has provided information to members of Congress looking into President Donald Trump’s unsupported claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower.

“The Department of Justice has complied with the request from leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and Judiciary Committees seeking information related to surveillance during the 2016 election,” DOJ spokesman Peter Carr said in a statement on Friday afternoon.

He declined further comment, and it’s unclear what information the department provided.

The Justice Department was responding to requests from the House Intelligence Committee. The members had requested the information by Monday, but the DOJ requested an extension.

“The Committee is satisfied that the Department of Justice has fully complied with our request for information from our March 8 letter on possible surveillance related to Donald Trump or his associates,” said Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who chairs the committee. He did not elaborate in his statement on what DOJ sent.

FBI Director James Comey, who reportedly wanted the DOJ to publicly refute the claims that Obama wiretapped Trump, is set to testify before an open hearing of the House Intelligence Committee on Monday. Schiff has said he expects Comey to put the issue to rest at the hearing.

Nunes, a Trump ally, said this week that he had no evidence to back up the president’s claims about surveillance. If you take Trump’s tweets about the issue literally, Nunes said, “then clearly the president was wrong.”

The White House has said Trump is confident that Congress will find evidence supporting his claim, and Trump made an awkward joke on Friday about being wiretapped.

Amanda Terkel contributed reporting.

This piece has been updated with comment from Nunes.

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