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

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.

On Sunday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Trump is requesting that Congress look into "whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016." Obama's spokesman has called Trump's accusation "simply false."

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