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DOJ Says It Complied With House Committee Request on Trump's 'Wiretap' Claim

The House Intelligence Committee asked the Justice Department for any information on Trump's claim Trump Tower was surveilled before the election.
Image: Devin Nunes
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes announces he will hold an open hearing on March 20 to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 7.J. Scott Applewhite / AP

The Department of Justice said it has complied with a request from the House Intelligence Committee to turn over any relevant material related to President Donald Trump’s claim that he had his "wires tapped" before the election.

House Intelligence Committee Chair Rep. Devin Nunes, R-California, in a statement said the Justice Department had "fully complied" but did not disclose what was turned over.

Trump and the White House have come under scrutiny over the president's claim, which he first made on Twitter on March 4 without presenting evidence.

The administration’s defense of the claim earned a rare and angry denial from British spy agency GCHQ after White House Press Secretary cited a claim made by a Fox News analyst that it was involved in surveillance.

And on Friday Fox News anchor Shepard Smith said Fox News has "no evidence" that the president was surveilled and cannot confirm Fox News analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano’s "commentary" about the British spy agency.

The statement came after Trump earlier Friday told a reporter "all we did is quote a certain very talented legal mind" and said further questions should be directed at Fox.

Nunes and the ranking Democrat on the committee, Adam Schiff, D-California, made the request to the Justice Department in a letter last week.

The Justice Department said Friday it "has complied with the request from leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees and Judiciary Committees seeking information related to surveillance during the 2016 election."

Nunes in Friday’s statement said the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency has not yet provided full information about whether information collected on U.S. citizens was mishandled and leaked. Nunes said the NSA has "partially met our request" and expected to finish by the end of next week.

Republicans and the president criticized what they said were illegal leaks after it was reported that Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, had communications with Russia's ambassador to the United States before Trump was inaugurated.

Flynn resigned on Feb. 13. Trump said he fired Flynn for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about the communications.