The Department of Justice had until Monday evening to provide evidence to support President Trump's allegation that President Obama had his campaign wiretapped. But, having reached the House Intelligence Committee's deadline with no proof to share, the agency has asked for more time.
"This afternoon, the Department of Justice placed calls to representatives of the Chairman and Ranking Member of the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to ask for additional time to review the request in compliance with the governing legal authorities and to determine what if any responsive documents may exist," Department of Justice spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement.
Last Saturday, Trump tweeted that Obama had his phones wiretapped. He did not follow up the tweet with evidence and Republicans and Democrats alike demanded he do so or retract his allegation.
"I have no reason to believe that the charge is true, but I also believe that the President of the United States could clear this up in a minute," Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said this weekend, urging Trump to at least call the CIA for clarification.
If Obama did get authorization to surveil Trump and his allies and whether they were in contact with the Russians, there will certainly be a paper trail Congress can follow.
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The House Intelligence Committee appears to be dissatisfied with the DOJ's request and is prepared to take matters into their own hands.
JUST IN -- After non-response from DOJ, House Intel says it may resort to "a compulsory process if our questions continue to go unanswered."
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) March 13, 2017
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the ranking member on the committee, said the panel wants an answer from the DOJ no later than the date of their first hearing on March 20.
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