Jeff Sessions, asked if he gave Trump 'any reason to believe' he was wiretapped by Obama: 'Um, no'

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Wednesday he did not give President Trump "any reason to believe" that former President Barack Obama wiretapped his phones at Trump Tower during the presidential election, as Trump has claimed. "Look — my answer, um, no," Sessions said, when asked whether he'd had a chance to "brief" Trump on campaign-related investigations or had suggested evidence of wiretapping existed in his conversations with the president.
Sessions went on to explain that because he was "active" in the Trump campaign, he was barred from any investigations involving the campaign. Sessions occasionally served as a Trump surrogate during the election. "Even though you may have had nothing whatsoever to do with anything improper, you should not investigate your own campaign, so I have recused myself and am unable to comment on any of these details," Sessions said.
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.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
The Swift-Kelce effect: a 'dream pairing' for the NFL
Why everyone's talking about Taylor Swift's appearance at the Chiefs vs. Bears game to see Travis Kelce added millions of TV viewers
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
When will your favorite show be back now that the writers strike is over?
The Explainer Here's when to expect new episodes of the late-night shows, 'SNL,' and more
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published
-
Biden creates White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention
Speed Read The office will be led by Vice President Kamala Harris
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Rishi Sunak lambasts China after allegations of spy in UK Parliament
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Judge denies Mark Meadows' request to move Georgia case to federal court
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson dies at 75
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Clarence Thomas officially discloses trips from billionaire GOP donor
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Judge schedules Trump federal election plot trial for crowded March 2024
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Trump surrenders in Georgia election subversion case
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin ally-turned-rival, presumed dead in plane crash
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published