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DC Daily: Trump claims Obama wiretapped him, Arnold ruined 'Apprentice'

Posted at 7:06 AM, Mar 04, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-05 11:15:07-05

President Donald Trump took to social media Saturday morning to address claims that former President Barack Obama had his campaign wiretapped and fallout from Arnold Schwarzenegger's departure from the television show, "The Apprentice," of which he hosted prior to Schwarzenegger.

Former officials denounce President's wiretapping claims

-- A former senior official with knowledge of Justice Department investigations under former President Obama's administration told CNN claims made by President Trump over wiretapping are incorrect.

"This did not happen. It is false. Wrong," the former official said. The official added it would not be possible for the former president to order a wire tap without a judge's approval.
 
Former foreign policy advisor and speech writer to Obama, Ben Rhodes, echoed a similar statement on Twitter, saying it would not be possible for Obama to order such an action.
 
"No President can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you," Rhodes wrote on Twitter.

Republican Senator of South Carolina Lindsey Graham spoke to a town hall audience in Clemson, S.C., Saturday about the president's claims.

"I don't know if it's true or not but if it is true, illegally, it would be the biggest political scandal since Watergate," Sen. Graham said in video obtained by CNN. "Here's the deal, as we get ready to talk to each other, I'm very worried. I'm very worried that our president is suggesting the former president has done something illegally."

Trump levels wire tapping claims against Obama

-- President Donald Trump leveled claims Saturday against former President Barack Obama over "wire tapping" while he campaigned for president in 2016. 

Trump said in a series of messages via Twitter that his predecessor had his campaign tapped at Trump Tower in October 2016.

No sources were immediately provided backing up the president's claims.

"Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" Trump tweeted.

CNN reached out to Obama for comment, but has not heard back.

U.S. to temporarily suspend expedited processing of H-1B visas

-- The U.S. is set to temporarily suspend the premium processing of H-1B visas, which eliminates the option of a shorter wait time for highly skilled foreign workers to work for U.S. companies, according to a release from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The suspension is set to go in effect April 3, and could last up to three months.

Premium processing costs $1,225 and ensures a response from the USCIS within 15 days or the fee is refunded, CNN reports. 

President Trump has criticized the country's visas program in the past, noting abuses of the program.

Schwarzenegger quits "Apprentice," claims Trump ruined it

-- President Trump took a jab Saturday at Arnold Schwarzenegger over the latter's departure from the television series, "The Apprentice," saying he was "fired" over ratings and did not quit. 

But it didn't take long for the former Governator to punch back.

"You should think about hiring a new joke writer and a fact checker," Schwarzenegger tweeted Saturday morning.

Friday, news broke that Schwarznegger would not return to "The New Celebrity Apprentice," after taking over hosting duties from President Trump. 

Schwarzenegger claimed "baggage" surrounding the show prompted him to quit.

"I loved every second of working with NBC and Mark Burnett. Everyone -- from the celebrities to the crew to the marketing department -- was a straight 10, and I would absolutely work with all of them again on a show that doesn't have this baggage," Schwarzenegger said in the statement.

Trump's morning Twitter feed

ICYMI

VP Pence responds to personal email use

-- Vice President Mike Pence responded Friday to criticism over personal email use, saying there was "no comparison" between his situation and the email scandal that rocked Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.

"There's no comparison whatsoever," Pence said following an event in Janesville, Wisc.

Reports surfaced this week that Pence used a personal email account while governor of Indiana to discuss matters relating to state matters. It was also found that his AOL account that he was using was hacked in a phishing scam.

It wasn't immediately clear if Pence was handling classified information through his personal account. 

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