My view is USA President Trump should now retract his tweets alleging ex President Obama wire-tapped Trump Tower

Normally I take a publicly neutral stand on USA politics and especially avoid writing on topics related to USA security and investigative agencies. Please note that I am an Indian living in India. However, as a lover of democracy of which USA is a leading force in the world today, and as a well wisher of the people of the USA, I felt it appropriate to make an exception in this case.

On 20th March 2017 (yesterday), FBI Director Comey asserted in his testimony to the USA House Intelligence Committee that the FBI had looked carefully inside the FBI and that he had "no information" to support the tweets of USA President Trump that his predecessor, former USA President Obama wire-tapped Trump Tower. He also said that the Department of Justice had asked him to share that they too did not have any information to support those tweets.

Comey also said, "No individual in the United States can direct electronic surveillance of anyone. It has to go through an application process. Ask a judge. The judge can then make the order."

In response to the question, "So President Obama could not unilaterally order a wiretap of anyone?", Comey answered, "No president could".

Source: FBI Director Comey: No evidence to support Trump’s tweets on wiretapping, Fox Business, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVpzRG8cbDM, 2 min 42 secs, published Mar. 20th 2017

The NSA chief Admiral Rogers asserted that he had no knowledge of anybody asking the British or any other USA ally to wiretap Mr. Trump.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/us/politics/intelligence-committee-russia-donald-trump.html

Given all of the above, it is my considered view as a democracy lover that in the interest of safeguarding USA democratic values and traditions, USA President Trump should retract his earlier tweets alleging that his predecessor, USA President Obama wire-tapped him/Trump Tower. Note that USA is a leading force for democracy in the world today. Erosion in democratic values and traditions in the USA would, in all probability, have an effect of eroding democratic values and traditions in many other democracies in the world today, including India.

I wish USA President Trump and his team all the very best in their efforts to improve the lives of the American people, using the democratic processes of the USA. May God bless the people of the USA.

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