House Intelligence Chair Confirms ‘Incidental Surveillance’ of Trump Transition Officials

Donald Trump has been vindicated in his most recent war against the media. Trump’s accusations of wiretapping have been widely disputed by the press, but House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes is standing behind the president. Trump Tower, Trump transition officials, and maybe even Trump himself have been spied on by members of the Obama administration.

Two days after FBI director Comey shot down Trump’s allegation that Trump was being wiretapped by president Obama before the election, it appears that president Trump may have been on to something because moments ago, the House Intelligence Chairman, Devin Nunes, told reporters that the U.S. intelligence community incidentally collected information on members of President Trump’s transition team, possibly including Trump himself, and the information was “widely disseminated” in intelligence reports.

As AP adds, Nunes said that President Donald Trump’s communications may have been “monitored” during the transition period as part of an “incidental collection.”

Nunes told a news conference Wednesday that the communications appear to be picked up through “incidental collection” and do not appear to be related to the ongoing FBI investigation into Trump associates’ contacts with Russia. He says he believes the intelligence collections were done legally, although in light of the dramatic change in the plotline it may be prudent to reserve judgment on how “incidental” it was.

“I recently confirmed that on numerous occasions, the intelligence community collected information on U.S. individuals involved in the Trump transition,” Nunes told reporters.

“Details about U.S. persons involved in the incoming administration with little or no apparent foreign intelligence value were widely disseminated in intelligence community reports.”

The information was “legally brought to him by sources who thought we should know it,” Nunes said, though he provided little detail on the source.

Wow – Nunes just said there are "multiple FISA warrants out there" involving Trump.

— Tom Watson (@tomwatson) March 22, 2017

BREAKING!!! Rep Devin Nunes (Intel Cmte Chmn):
There was "Incidental collection" of @realDonaldTrump thru IC surveillance <- BOMBSHELL

— Eric Bolling (@ericbolling) March 22, 2017

The only question that remains — and the only question that should have been asked in the first place — is regarding the legality of the wiretaps. Does “incidental” collection of information involving a political campaign and a foreign government fall under appropriate intelligence gathering? Or did the Obama administration go too far by involving domestic members of an adversarial party?

The answer might have to do with how the information was used — and with whom it was shared.

Source: Zero Hedge