Paul Ryan in Fire and Fury, by Michael Wolff


On Principles & Values: Broke story of Obama wiretapping Trump Tower; called it "BS"

On March 3, 2017, the president watched Bret Baier interview Paul Ryan on Fox. Baier asked the Speaker about a report involving allegations that Trump Tower had been surveilled during the campaign.

On March 4, Trump's early morning tweets began: "Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found! This is McCarthyism! (4:35 AM)" This was a pure public exclamation, a window into pain and frustration. With his misspellings and his use of 1970s lingo--"wiretapping" called up an image of FBI agents crouched in a van of Fifth Avenue--it seemed farcical. Ryan said he had no idea what Baier was talking about and that he was just BSing through the interview.

It was a turning point. Until now, Trump's inner circle had been mostly game to defend him. But after the wiretap tweets, everybody, moved into a state of queasy sheepishness, if not constant incredulity. [The wiretapping allegation survives into the 2020 campaign]

Source: Fire and Fury, by Michael Wolff, p.159-60 Jan 5, 2018

The above quotations are from Fire and Fury
Inside the Trump White House

by Michael Wolff
.
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