Morning Joe's Mika Brzezinski demands an explanation for Trump's wiretapping claims: 'Were you lying, Mr. President?'

Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski peppered President Trump with a series of tough questions Tuesday after the Trump administration missed its Monday deadline for providing wiretapping evidence. The leaders of the House Intelligence Committee had asked the Justice Department to hand over evidence backing Trump's baseless claim that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower during the election, but on Monday the Justice Department asked for more time and the deadline was pushed back to March 20. "If the president was lying, don't you think at some point he ought to say, 'I apologize, I am just an idiot?'" Brzezinski said.
After replaying White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's "hard to watch" attempts to clarify Trump's tweets about wiretapping, Brzezinski demanded some answers. "Were you lying, Mr. President?" Brzezinski said, gazing straight into the camera. "Did you make it up? Was it some little spurt of activity that you had out of need to have action? I'd like to know where it came from because it's a very serious allegation. And it questions everything that you're about, and it questions whether we can ever believe you."
Watch the clip below. Becca Stanek
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Is the G7 still relevant?
Talking Point Donald Trump's early departure cast a shadow over this week's meeting of the world's major democracies
-
A disproven medical theory could be guiding RFK Jr.'s health policy
The Explainer The miasma theory is one of the oldest medical beliefs in history
-
Codeword: June 18, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Trump's LA deployment in limbo after court rulings
Speed Read Judge Breyer ruled that Trump's National Guard deployment to Los Angeles was an 'illegal' overreach. But a federal appellate court halted the ruling.
-
Marines, National Guard in LA can detain Americans
speed read The troops have been authorized to detain anyone who interferes with immigration raids
-
Trump vows 'very big force' against parade protesters
Speed Read The parade, which will shut down much of the capital, will celebrate the US Army's 250th anniversary and Trump's 79th birthday
-
Smithsonian asserts its autonomy from Trump
speed read The DC institution defied Trump's firing of National Portrait Gallery Director Kim Sajet
-
Trump sends Marines to LA, backs Newsom arrest
speed read California Gov. Gavin Newsom is filing lawsuits in response to Trump's escalation of the federal response to ICE protests
-
Trump foists National Guard on unwilling California
speed read Protests erupted over ICE immigration raids in LA county
-
Supreme Court lowers bar in discrimination cases
speed read The court ruled in favor of a white woman who claimed she lost two deserved promotions to gay employees
-
Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats
speed read Musk said Trump's multitrillion bill would cause a recession and accused the president of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein