"House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes says he doesn't believe "there was an actual tap of Trump Tower," contrary to claims made by President Trump.
The top Democrat on the House Committee, Adam Schiff, said he has seen "no evidence whatsoever" that supports Trump's claim.
Trump alleged that his predecessor, President Barack Obama, tapped his phone at Trump Tower in a pair of tweets earlier this month.
Trump has not produced any evidence to support his claim."
NPR
"slander
n. Oral defamation, in which someone tells one or more persons an untruth about another which untruth will harm the reputation of the person defamed. Slander is a civil wrong (tort) and can be the basis for a lawsuit. Damages (payoff for worth) for slander may be limited to actual (special) damages unless there is malicious intent since such damages are usually difficult to specify and harder to prove. Some statements such as an untrue accusation of having committed a crime, having a loathsome disease, or being unable to perform one's occupation are treated as slander per se since the harm and malice are obvious, and therefore usually result in general and even punitive damage recovery by the person harmed. Words spoken over the air on television or radio are treated as libel (written defamation) and not slander on the theory that broadcasting reaches a large audience as much if not more than printed publications."
In the Donald Trump instance, this may be a case of libel. The lawyers will decide that. In any event, it is an impeachable offense coming from a representative of the Federal Government.
There will be additional testimony by the FBI and National Intelligence Agency. Has Trump stumbled onto a slippery slope? Stay tuned.
Gotcha
What is plausible is that the FBI and National Security Agency were investigating Russians who may have been hacking and leaking information related to the election campaign. If, in the process, the authorities stumbled onto Donald Trump or members of his campaign, they may have pursued the information that was obtained without actually tapping Trump or associates.
ReplyDeleteIf they discovered something suspicious that required a warrant, they would have requested permission from a judge.
Since former President Obama said that he never requested a wiretap, that is easy to prove or disprove.
President Obama surely requested that the authorities investigate Russian interference.