Krauthammer: 'Pretty Big Violation' If Trump Team
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The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Wednesday that some of the communications of the Trump transition team were "monitored" after the election as part of an "incidental collection."
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) said he believes the intelligence collections were done legally, but he is concerned because they were apparently not related to the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the presidential election and because they were "widely disseminated" across the intelligence community.
Nunes would not confirm if President Trump's own communications were specifically monitored, saying only that it was "possible" that the president's communications were picked up.
On "The First 100 Days" tonight, Charles Krauthammer said there are three distinct charges at play here: the investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Trump's claim that he was "wiretapped" by the Obama administration during the campaign, and Nunes' allegation that there may have been improper use of the information picked up legally and incidentally.
"The Nunes charge ... is that it was widespread and systematic," Krauthammer. "That is what he says. We need to see the evidence."
He said the big question is if intelligence agents used legitimate surveillance on foreign targets to spy on Trump and his associates.
"That would be a pretty big violation of what you're supposed to do," Krauthammer said. "Was there an intent to abuse the listening in on the foreigners as a way to get inside and improperly listen to Americans?"
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