Trumps wiretapping accusation comes to a head at comey hearing

The controversy surrounding President Trump's accusation that his predecessor, Barack Obama, wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential election came to a head during a hearing before the House Intelligence Committee on March 20, 2017. The hearing was attended by FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Mike Rogers, who testified about the allegations.

During the hearing, Comey and Rogers both denied that there was any evidence to support Trump's claim that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower. Comey stated that the FBI had not found any evidence of wiretapping, and Rogers echoed that statement, saying that the NSA had not collected any communications from Trump Tower.

Trump had made the accusation on March 4, 2017, in a series of tweets, claiming that Obama had wiretapped him during the election. The tweets were widely criticized as baseless and unfounded, and many experts and officials have since disputed the claim.

The hearing was also notable for Comey's statement that the FBI was investigating possible Russian interference in the 2016 election, and that the investigation was ongoing. Comey also confirmed that the FBI was investigating whether there was any coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The hearing was seen as a major blow to Trump's credibility, as it was clear that his accusation of wiretapping was unfounded. The controversy surrounding the wiretapping claim has been widely criticized as a distraction from the real issues facing the country, and has been seen as an attempt by Trump to deflect attention from the ongoing investigations into Russian interference in the election.

In the aftermath of the hearing, Trump continued to deny that he had made a mistake in making the accusation, and instead claimed that he had been "wiretapped" in a broader sense, suggesting that his phones or communications had been monitored or surveilled. However, there is no evidence to support this claim, and many experts have disputed it.

The controversy surrounding the wiretapping claim has had significant consequences for Trump's presidency, including a decline in his approval ratings and increased scrutiny from the media and the public. It has also led to increased tensions between Trump and the intelligence community, and has raised concerns about the president's willingness to accept the findings of investigations and the integrity of the intelligence agencies.