The FBI chief has rejected President Trump’s claim that Barack Obama tapped his phone, reports say.
FBI director James Comey has rejected President Donald Trump’s claim on Saturday that his predecessor, Barack Obama, tapped his phone, US media say.
Mr Comey reportedly asked the US justice department to reject the allegation Mr Obama ordered a wiretap during last year’s election campaign.
He is said to have asked for the correction because it falsely insinuates that the FBI broke the law.
The development was reported by the New York Times and confirmed by NBC.
The justice department did not issue any immediate statement in response to Mr Comey’s reported request.
US media quoted officials as saying that Mr Comey believed there was no evidence to support Mr Trump’s allegation.
The New York Times and NBC reports came as the White House called on Congress to investigate whether the Obama administration had abused its powers.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said there had been „very troubling“ reports „concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election“.
Mr Trump called the alleged tapping „Nixon/Watergate“, referring to the notorious political scandal of 1972, which led to the downfall of President Richard Nixon.
He asked on Twitter whether it was legal for a „sitting president to be wire-tapping“ and referred to the allegation as „a new low“.
Mr Trump, who has faced intense scrutiny over alleged Russian interference in support of his presidential bid, offered no evidence to support his allegation that phones at Trump Tower were tapped last year.
A spokesman for Mr Obama said the charge was „simply false“.
Earlier, the director of national intelligence at the time of the US election, James Clapper, denied there had been any wire-tap on Mr Trump or his election campaign team.
Mr Clapper also told NBC that he knew of no court order to allow monitoring of Trump Tower in New York.
„There was no such wire-tap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time, as a candidate, or against his campaign,“ Mr Clapper said.
