A proper hornet's nest!

President Donald T really has stirred it up now, accusing Obama of wiretapping his phones in Trump Tower during the election campaign. Of course, Obama's cronies have denied it. But is there some substance of any kind to this? First of all, though, Obama as president was barred by law from ever ordering a wiretap against anyone in the United States, let alone someone standing for president in an election campaign. For nearly 40 years, since the establishment of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in 1978, presidents have been removed from the legal process required for authorising wiretaps, so as to avoid any executive abuse of people's rights. Permission has to be given by judges sitting in the so-called FISA court after examining all the evidence of a potential plot by outside foreign interests to interfere with or undermine the security of the United States. So Obama is innocent OK! Well, then let's look at other possible scenarios. There WAS an allegation about Russian interference in the election, and there WERE suggestions that Trump aides had been in touch with Russian intelligence people to combine efforts to destroy Hillary Clinton's chances of winning the election by releasing hacked emails of Democratic National Party skulduggery. So the FBI's ears obviously pricked up. There were urgent chats with the US Justice Department, and before you could say Bob's your aunty, a wiretap request was put to the FISA court for tapping into the phones of a couple of US-based Russian numbers. It was turned down. Two more attempts were made, according to the BBC, and finally the Justice Department got its approval. But, as far as is known, the FISA approval had nothing to do with eavesdropping on any of the phones in Trump Tower. That would surely smell of Watergate!! But some sort of tap was put in place, all legit. No Obama involvement. And the FBI uncovered nothing. However, in the real world, there could have been an over-breakfast chat between Obama, and, say, his attorney general, going something like this:
 "Hey, AG, what are all these rumours I hear about the Russians pumping money and dirt into the election? You doing anything about that?"
"Well Mr President, can't really talk about this, as you know, but I get your drift. Nice jam by the way."
"Outrageous! Would love a whisper of what you find out. Perhaps over breakfast again. I'll make sure I have the same jam."
"Sure Mr President, we'll sort it."
Well, we all know what happened to Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, when, within earshot of four loyal knights,  King Henry VIII cried out: "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?"
Even if such a conversation took place over toast and jam - and I have of course totally made it up - it still doesn't mean Obama authorised the wiretap of Trump Tower. It's far more likely that Trump has put his own spin on a remark he heard on a Conservative radio show alleging that the Trump campaign had been bugged. Anyway James Clapper, the man who confessed he was counting the days to his retirement from his job as director of national intelligence under Obama, has stated that no such bugging took place - to his knowledge! So that's all right then. Trump, you can rest easy. Stay cool, Mr President, and leave that nice Mr Obama alone.