Justice Department delivers documents on wiretap claim to Congress

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department on Friday said it delivered documents to congressional committees responding to their request for information that could shed light on President Donald Trump's claims that former President Barack Obama ordered U.S. agencies to spy on him.

The information was sent to the House and Senate intelligence and judiciary committees, said Sarah Isgur Flores, a Justice Department spokeswoman.
A congressional official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the House Intelligence Committee was examining the documents and might issue a public statement about them later on Friday.

Another government source, who also requested anonymity when discussing sensitive information, said an initial examination of the material turned over by the Justice Department indicates that it contains no evidence to confirm Trump's claims that the Obama administration had wiretapped him or the Trump Tower in New York.
Leaders of both the House and Senate intelligence committees, including from Trump's Republican Party, have said they have found no evidence to substantiate Trump's claims that Obama ordered U.S. agencies to spy on Trump or his entourage. The White House has publicly offered no proof of the allegation.

On Monday, the House panel sent the Justice Department a letter asking for copies of any court orders related to Trump or his associates which might have been issued last year under an electronic surveillance law or a wide-ranging anti-crime statute.

(Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Warren Strobel, Howard Goller and Lisa Shumaker)