Judge Andrew Napolitano pulled from Fox News over wiretap claims

If, like President Trump, you watch Fox News to hear the latest theories set forward by retired judge Andrew Napolitano, prepare to be disappointed — the senior judicial analyst won't be on the network any time soon.

Napolitano will be off Fox News indefinitely, the Los Angeles Times reports, after he shared on network programs and FoxNews.com the baseless claim that the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), Britain's foreign surveillance agency, "most likely" gave former President Barack Obama transcripts of President Trump's recorded calls (the agency called this "utterly ridiculous"). While Trump has claimed without evidence that Obama wiretapped Trump Tower before the election, FBI Director James Comey testified Monday that there is "no information to support" this.

Napolitano's theory was cited last week by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer when he was asked why Trump won't stop claiming that Trump Tower was wiretapped, and by Trump himself during a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. After Napolitano said on one program that Fox News spoke to people in the intelligence community "who believe that surveillance did occur, that it was done by British intelligence," the network's Shepard Smith backtracked, saying Fox News did not know of any evidence proving this. When asked by the Times for comment, Fox News and Napolitano, who has not been on air since Thursday, did not respond.

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