Quote:
Originally Posted by einbert
First of all, it doesn't. Second of all, if a wiretap did happen, it was ordered by the DoJ independently, not Obama (the significance of the statement). Thirdly, if a wiretap did happen, Trump has much greater problems, as that means DoJ was able to go before a federal judge and produce probable cause that he was engaging in criminal activity.
And if Trump was colluding with a foreign power, of course the DoJ was right to investigate him. That's one of their jobs.
I guess what you don't understand is that if there were no investigation they wouldn't be going out of their way to stress "independent investigation" led by the Department of Justice. If the Obama administration were in a position to deny that wiretapping happened, they would in the public statement. Clearly, they were not so instead the claim is that the Department of Justice which is appointed by the President was acting independently.
Of course, Trump didn't accuse the Department of Justice of wiretapping, he accused Obama. So even if it were true that this investigation occurred without Obama's knowledge or blessing that still doesn't exclude the possibility that any of a number of intelligence organizations that also serve at the pleasure of the President didn't do so as well.
Not that any of this makes Trump a good guy, I just think it's funny you look at that statement and go 'welp Obama says it's all Kosher, good enough for me.'