BACKGROUND:
Earlier this month, Trump took to twitter in order to inform people of the fact that Obama was responsible for ‘wiretapping’ his phone during the election and Trump Tower. Or so he believes. Trump compared this speculated act of surveillance to the Nixon/Watergate scandal, Watergate being the term to describe the illegal activities conducted by the Nixon administration in which they broke into the DNC headquarters at the Watergate office complex. This scandal ultimately caused Nixon to resign, and by comparing this accusation to such a scandal without any evidence raises a lot of questions about Trump’s role in the White House. This also isn’t the first claim made against Obama that Trump has made, but this also draws back to the birtherism claims Trump made against Obama during the 2016 election.
ARTICLES:
This article describes the accusations made by Trump about the possibility that Obama was responsible for wiretapping his phone during the election. Yet, there was no evidence presented.The article pointed out the position that the White House has now found itself in, and that we should not expect comments about these claims until further investigation is conducted. Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse spoke out, suggesting that an application regarding this claim of surveillance should be requested to the FISA court, as that would bring about evidence on foreign interference.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/us/politics/trump-obama-wiretapping-sean-spicer.html?_r=0
Despite the claim made by the White House that further commenting on these accusations would be paused until further research was conducted, Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer spoke out about the wiretapping claims. Spicer continues to suggest that the president does believe there was surveillance conducted in the 2016 election, whether that it be a crime conducted by a foreign power or the Trump administration.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/08/politics/fisa-court-explainer-trnd/
This article gives information about the FISA court (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court) and how it is relevant when it comes to Trump’s claims of illegal surveillance. We know that Trump can request a warrant through investigative agencies but a judge would have to approve of the warrant under limited circumstances. Circumstances such as the probable cause that Trump committed a federal crime or his association were speaking to agents of a foreign power.
ANALYSIS:
It seems as if there are many different views on whether this is a relevant accusation, seeing as the president issues a claim with no evidence. By taking to twitter and announcing that his phone had illegally been wiretapped during the election with the possibility that the Obama administration was responsible puts forth a controversial standpoint. Trump makes serious accusations by tracing the claims back to the Watergate scandal and referring to FISA courts, but this greatly impacts how people will look at him in the WHite House when there isn’t evidence of surveillance that Obama and his administration is responsible for.
QUESTIONS:
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Do you think it was necessary for Trump to bring up these accusations with no solid evidence against Obama?
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Do you think that Donald Trump’s claims are are serious as the Watergate scandal?
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Was Trump justified in issuing a warrant to the FISA court?
pogo2currentevents2016 
I think it was necessary for Trump to bring up these accusations without any evidence, in a way. He does stuff like this in order to divert attention from other controversial topics. Trump tweeted about the wiretapping about two weeks ago and people are still talking about it. Multiple investigations were conducted, and all of them have said that there was no proof that Obama has ordered a wiretapping of any sort. So why is media still talking about it today? Trump has uneccesarily dragged Great Britain and Germany into this, so of course people will mention it. All while this is happening, Trump signed another executive order regarding the travel ban on one about “reorganizing the executive branch” (https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/all-the-laws-and-executive-orders-trump-has-signed-so-far). There are probably some other issues that the media has not covered yet because they are too focused on other stuff. This presidency feels like a reality tv show. People focus on how different this term is and ignore the other important stuff.
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I think this claim is outrageous and just shows how Trump does not understand how the government. Usually the bureaucracy does not like to bring attention to their behaviors that include spying on civilians such as wiretapping. Trump basically exposed a condemnable act of the bureaucracy and tried to blame it on Obama. I think this appeals to his supporters that do not favor a large government and this claim gives them more reason too. Also Trump is a celebrity before a politician so he understands how the media cycles new information that causes more drama. This claim about Obama wiretapping definitely stirs more drama than his new travel ban or how millions of Americans might lose their healthcare coverage under his new bill. I also think him equating this false claim to the Watergate scandal demonstrates how cocky he is. Nixon was caught stealing and forced to resign. Even if Obama had spies on Trump, I highly doubt it would be viewed the same way as a president stealing from the American people. I think it is actually comical how people actually just refute his claim and yet somehow he is still allowed to make some outrageous statements. The fact that he involved the British government into his lie is unfathomable considering that they are an ally. Before Trump’s presidency, I truly believed that Presidents had to be vetted before making any public statements but now I see that a President has as much free speech as any citizen.
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No I do not think that Trump should have accused Obama of Wiretapping his phone. There was no absolute reason why he should have done that either meaning there was no evidence which prove what he was saying. but this isn’t the first time that trump has accused of something happening that wasn’t actually real. I guess if he was truly convinced that Obama had done that, then a good idea would’ve been to have one of his technology people look into it before tweeting about it for everyone to see. No I do not think they are serious accusations or anything that could’ve gotten Obama in trouble but I do think that Trump was solely convinced other wise. When trump was still only running for presidency, he said that I Hilary was to win that he would’ve claimed that she hacked into the ballot and changed the results. So I think the accusation that Obama was wiretapping his phone was either just his own paranoia or him seeking for attention because he was no evidence of anything.
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I think Trump made these claims to divert the public’s attention away from some of the serious stuff that is going in Washington like healthcare. Trump has used this tactic before and he will probably continue to use it throughout his presidency. Was it necessary for him to make these claims, no it was not, but did it fulfill the purpose that it was most likely set out to achieve, absolutely. These wiretapping claims have been talked about nonstop for about 2 weeks and there have been echoes since the election. However a new healthcare bill was written in Washington and that was only talked about for about 3 solid days. Trump is very skilled at manipulating the media even though he claims that he hates it. I don’t think he cares if the accusations are true of false as long as they shift the public’s attention. I think this because there is no solid evidence to prove that this happened and he had to have known that and yet he still tweeted about it. As a matter of act in a Washington Post article published on Monday it states, “In a sprawling, near five-hour hearing, FBI Director James B. Comey on Monday said there is “no information” that supports President Trump’s claims that his predecessor ordered surveillance of Trump Tower during the election campaign.” This article was written after the FBI had found that there was no evidence to prove that Obama was spying on Trump. I’m sure Trump is disappointed in some way that it has come back that there is no evidence to back up these claims, but I’m also sure that he will make claims like this again in order to divert the public’s attention.
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I think that the accusations that Trump had really proves that he does not exactly know as much as he should about the government. These accusations seem like a familiar tactic that Trump has used before. Trump also uses tricks like these to divert the public’s attention from more important issues in government. Trump clearly knows a lot about media and he knows exactly how to use the media in his favor. I feel as though that ever since Trump has taken office, the media has not exactly covered the stories that should actually have the spotlight, such as the new healthcare bill, as well as things such as these accusations that have nothing to support them. The accusations that Trump had made has really no evidence to support them, it’s just another one of Trump’s many claims. I feel like his outrageous claims are so out of line but that is just his right as a citizen to practice free speech.
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Donald Trump made shocking claims that Barack Obama wiretapped his phones and highlighted an unverified report the Britain had helped execute the alleged surveillance. Mr Obama’s spokesman and former US intelligence chief James Clapper denied that any wiretap had been ordered. During a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Trump referred to the Obama administration’s monitoring of Merkel’s calls and stated, “At least we have something in common, perhaps.” This statement shocked Merkel and onlookers, whilst some nervously laughed. Donald Trump is not responding maturely to these allegations and may be putting the relationship with Britain into further danger. These claims have also left Trump somewhat isolated where Republican and Democratic lawmakers are stating they have heard nothing from intelligence agencies that support these allegations. The White House has asked the House and Senate intelligence committees to investigate the matter and top lawmakers on both committees have said they have seen no indications that Trump Tower was wiretapped. I think it was very unwise for Trump to make these claims without evidence because it is widely denied and is hurting his already unstable presidency. These allegations are not supported and are being dismissed among both parties. These claims are extremely serious and would warrant further investigation. It would be a violation of Trump’s privacy and would indicate distrust within the Obama administrations. However, the justice department, NSA, FBI, Congress, etc. have found no indicator of Obama or Britain’s role in the wiretapping of Donald Trump’s office as there was no court order or evidence that would incriminate these individuals.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TRUMP_WIRETAP?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39172635
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I do not believe it was necessary for Trump to accuse Obama of wiretapping his phone because he had no evidence to prove his point. Usually when Trump has evidence to prove one of his many claims he makes it widely known that he has facts to back it up, but with this (just like usual) he is making this claim with nothing to prove it. This isn’t a foreign tactic for Trump. He is known for making huge claims that will have people talking and have their be headlines for weeks so then he can do a bunch of “secret stuff” while everyone is distracted. Trump claims that these are as big as Watergate, which its not, but even if they are this public converstation that Trump created to manipulate peoples attention will only last for 3 weeks tops until he makes another outrageous claim. Many new major adjustments have been made while these big convo has been going on that I didn’t even know about until reading this post, such as the healthcare bill. People are going to start catching on to trumps tactic and then start demanding answers. Either he thinks of a better way get away with the stuff he’s pulling or just stop.
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I do not think it was necessary for Trump to bring up these alleged accusations. Trump had no evidence to begin with. The shift in presidency and policies has brought a lot of controversy among the public and the country more than ever needs to be united and this scandal did not help. According to CNN, FBI director Comey confirmed there is no evidence supporting trump’s wiretapping claim, against Russia and Obama administration, so far in the investigation. Especially taking account of who he accused, President Obama who was in office for 2 terms. Trump could’ve done a quiet investigation to then accuse Obama, rather than taking matters to social media. I don’t think Trump’s claims are as serious as the Watergate scandal. I feel like this recent scandal was to distract the media and public from policies being passed in legislation. Trump speaks very vaguely and is reddudant in his speeches. I dont see the Trump administration being truthful for the most part informing the public on concerning issues and policies. Its fine to have an investigation going on but the Trump administration should maturely remind the public of current priorities and issues isntead of pushing scandals further.
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Throughout Donald Trump’s campaign and presidency, he has made many false accusations that are proven to not be true. According to Politifact.com, one of his many false accusations is when President Donald Trump tweeted that former President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap on his phones during the election. Donald Trump did not seek proof from federal intelligence agencies. It was not necessary for Donald Trump to bring up these accusations. His false accusations seem like justifications for his actions.
The Watergate scandal occurred when there was a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters. President Nixon’s administration attempted to hide its involvement. I think Donald Trump’s false accusations and the Watergate scandal are very different. People may argue that Donald Trump is exercising his freedom of speech as stated in the US Constitution. The Watergate scandal led to a constitutional crisis. Although Donald Trump’s false accusations are not as serious as the Watergate scandal in the 1970s, he should still be penalized.
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It was not at all necessary for Trump to bring up these accusations as he has no evidence at all. The American justice system preaches innocent until proven guilty and no one should be denied this. There is literally nothing to support this claim and all Trump is trying to do is attack the Obama administration. This government conspiracy trump is trying to make is nothing compared to Watergate as Watergate was actually a real thing. One thing about Watergate was that various media outlets looked into it and found evidence and broke the story to the public. This “story” was broken through Twitter, which is not nearly a reliable source.
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This is another example of Trump speaking without even being able to back his statements up. He was seen doing this at a press conference when he claimed that his victory in the White House was one of the most successful ones and when confronted by a news reporter, he just answered by saying he didn’t know and this was what was told to him. Why would he make claims if he has no proof against the Obama Administration? It just makes him look bad and less trustworthy. As a president, there are certain things that should not be said. He knew that the Watergate scandal was a very serious event that took place, so for him to even make that comparison is ridiculous to me. I do not think Trump’s claims are as serious as the Watergate scandal because he does not even have substantial evidence to be saying such things. The only way I would consider this is if he found solid evidence that could back his claim up. This story gives the Trump Administration a bad look. Trump is always making ridiculous statements on Twitter and I feel he should not be taken seriously. A professional would not take such a concerning issue to Twitter immediately. I am once again disappointed with the current President of the United States.
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No it was not necessary to put the “wiretapping” on Obama. This is an made up claim with no sense of evidence. It really does not make sense as to why he would put the blame on the Obama administration when they really were not involved in the election bedsides the endorsement of Hilary. I also do not believe Watergate and the wire tapping are even close to the same level. Watergate actually had some details and reasoning causing Nixon to take the blame and resign. Trump is really making this up to take away from the other things that he is trying to do to create less drama and hype about it.
I mean I guess Trumps claims can justify a FISA claim. He has some suspicion about the wiretapping, even though no evidence. What’s the worse thing that can happen besides a waste of time and effort.
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I do not think it was necessary for Trump to even bring up these accusations against Obama and claim all of these things with no solid evidence at all. This just adds onto fake news and it causes distractions from important aspects going on in the world right now; like the civil war in Syria, or even Trump and Russia being under investigation by the FBI for rigging/hacking the 2016 Presidential Election. When Donald Trump compared Obama and the hacking to the Watergate Scandal I can not help but think of how out of line Trump is. There is no evidence at all that this even happened, so nothing can compare to the Watergate Scandal. I do not think that Trump should have issued a warrant to the FISA court while being “wiretapped by Obama’s Administration” because there is no actual evidence of this. If there was then maybe he could have done this, but it should have involved more of foreign affairs with different countries if it was going to be issued as a warrant to the FISA court.
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I think the accusations are scandalous and unnecessary because he pointed fingers which put the bureaucracy under scrutiny at a time when plenty of Americans don’t trust it. Trump used the media to his own advantage. The spineless accusations became front and center in the news feed, drawing attention from other important issues such as healthcare coverage and the travel ban. The claims are nowhere near as serious as the Watergate scandal and by making the comparison, his tweet was blown out of proportion. Trumps warrant on the FISA courts are reasonable, I think that if he wanted to make accusations he should have done his homework first instead of broadcasting what ever crossed his mind. I think it is important for the media and Trump’s advisers to filter his public statements and question its legitimacy. Without doing this politics can become more chaotic and disoriented then it already is.
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