Trump stands by his claim Obama tapped his phones

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump today stood by his unproven claim that his predecessor wiretapped his phones, suggesting he was the victim of the same sort of surveillance the Obama administration was once alleged to have used to monitor German Chancellor Angela Merkel's calls.

"At least we have something in common, perhaps," Trump said during a joint news conference with Merkel.

Merkel, who was making her first visit to the White House since Trump took office, did not weigh in on the 2013 incident, which angered many in Germany.

Trump's allegations against President Barack Obama have sparked a reactions ranging from bafflement to anger in Washington, with both Democrats and Republican lawmakers saying they have no evidence to support his claim. But the White House's refusal to back down has created more problems for the new administration.

On Thursday, spokesman Sean Spicer defended the president's comments by repeating a Fox News analyst's report that GCHQ, the British electronic intelligence agency, had helped Obama wiretap Trump. The agency vigorously denied the charge and Britain's ambassador to Washington, Kim Darroch, complained directly to White House officials.

Trump tried to distance himself from the report today.

"All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television," Trump said, referring to analyst Andrew Napolitano. "You shouldn't be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox."

The British government said the White House has promised it won't repeat the allegation. Spicer, speaking with reporters after Trump's news conference, said: "I don't think we regret anything."