Trump urges Obama ‘abuse of power’ probe amid wire-tapping claim
Image copyright ReutersUS President Donald Trump has called for his allegations that Barack Obama ordered his phones to be tapped during the election campaign to be investigated by Congress.
His press secretary said the inquiry into alleged Russian interference in the election should also probe whether executive powers were abused.
Mr Trump made the claims in a series of tweets but offered no evidence.
Mr Obama never "ordered surveillance of any US citizen", his spokesman said.
Mr Trump, who has been facing intense scrutiny over alleged Russian interference in support of his election campaign, made the wire-tapping allegation in a series of tweets early on Saturday.
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Writing from his weekend home in Florida, he called the alleged tapping "Nixon/Watergate", referring to the notorious political scandal of 1972, which led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon.
His claims sparked calls from Republican and Democrat politicians alike for details to back them up.
In another series of tweets on Sunday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer did not provide any further evidence.
He said: "Reports concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election are very troubling.
"President Trump is requesting that as part of their investigation into Russian activity, the congressional intelligence committees exercise their oversight authority to determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016."
He added: "Neither the White House nor the President will comment further until such oversight is conducted."
Mr Trump's tweets followed allegations made by conservative radio host Mark Levin, including that the Obama administration "sought, and eventually obtained, authorisation to eavesdrop" on the Trump campaign last year.
Other media reports had previously suggested the FBI had sought a warrant from the foreign intelligence surveillance court (Fisa) in order to monitor members of the Trump team suspected of irregular contacts with Russian officials.
The warrant was first turned down but then reportedly approved in October, though there has been no official confirmation.
Under Fisa, wire-tapping can only be approved if there is probable cause to believe that the target of the surveillance is an agent of a foreign power. Mr Obama could not lawfully have ordered such a warrant.
The spokesman for Mr Obama, Kevin Lewis, said the accusation was "simply false".
A "cardinal rule of the Obama Administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice", he said.
The statement left open the possibility that a judicial investigation had been taking place.
Some Democrats have suggested Mr Trump's allegations were an attempt to focus attention away from the Russian affair.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said: "The Deflector-in-Chief is at it again."
