Report: FBI director asks Justice Department to refute Trump's wiretapping claim

FBI Director James Comey.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

After President Trump used Twitter to accuse former President Barack Obama of wiretapping his phones, FBI Director James Comey told the Justice Department to publicly reject Trump's claims, senior U.S. officials told The New York Times on Sunday.

Comey made the request on Saturday, saying the allegation is baseless and must be shot down because it insinuates that the FBI broke the law, but the Justice Department has yet to release any statement refuting Trump's claim. As the most senior law enforcement official who also worked under Obama, the Times says, it is unclear why Comey did not release a statement on his own.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.