DOJ asks for more time on inquiry into Trump wiretapping allegations

Trump accused Obama of wiretapping him during the election.

ByABC News
March 13, 2017, 7:02 PM

— -- The Department of Justice has failed to meet the House Intelligence Committee's deadline to turn over any alleged evidence of wiretapping of President Donald Trump during the campaign.

On Friday, House Intelligence Committee Chairs Devin Nunes, R-California, and Adam Schiff, D-California, had formally requested that the Justice Department turn over any documentary evidence, including applications, orders or warrants, by Monday, assuming such information exists.

According to a DOJ spokeswoman, the DOJ placed calls to Nunes and Schiff this afternoon, asking for "additional time to review the request in compliance with the governing legal authorities and to determine what if any responsive documents may exist."

A House Intelligence Committee spokesperson confirmed the DOJ's request for more time and set a new deadline for ahead of the March 20 House Intelligence Committee hearing on Russia's influence in the U.S. elections.

"We have asked the Department to provide us this information before the Committee’s open hearing scheduled for March 20," a House Intelligence Committee spokesperson said. "If the Committee does not receive a response by then, the Committee will ask for this information during the March 20 hearing and may resort to a compulsory process if our questions continue to go unanswered."

In a series of tweets posted on March 4, Trump accused President Barack Obama of wiretapping his phones in Trump Tower.

On Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer clarified Trump was not talking literally or specifically when he accused President Obama of "wiretapping" his campaign.

ABC News' Benjamin Siegel and Mike Levine contributed to this report.

Related Topics