The White House struggled Wednesday to answer whether it believes President Donald Trump is the target of a counterintelligence investigation.
When first asked whether Trump is the subject of such a probe, press secretary Sean Spicer said the White House needed to find that out.
“There’s obviously a lot of concern,” he said. Spicer added that the question is the reason why Trump has asked Congress, specifically the House and Senate intelligence committees, to include the issue in its investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 campaign.
Spicer revised his response later in the briefing after an aide handed him a note.
“I just want to be really clear on one point, which is there is no reason that we have to think that the president is the target of any investigation, whatsoever,” Spicer said. “There’s no reason to believe that he is the target of any investigation. I think that’s a very important point to make.”
Over the weekend, Trump alleged on Twitter that then-President Barack Obama had Trump’s telephones tapped during last year’s presidential election. Trump cited no evidence.
An Obama spokesman denies the allegation.
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DARLENE SUPERVILLE
