Former Judge Andrew Napolitano reportedly has been suspended indefinitely by Fox News over his unsubstantiated claim that the former President Obama had wiretapped trump Tower last fall. The Los Angeles Times reported the suspension late Monday. Numerous investigations have turned up no evidence that the wiretapping took place.
The controversy began when Napolitano reported on Fox News that "sources" had told him of the wiretapping. That was followed by a President Donald Trump tweet on March 4 repeating the accusation.
Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
Fox News itself reported that it had found no evidence of the wiretapping.
“Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now-president of the United States was surveilled at any time, in any way,” Fox anchor Shepard Smith told viewers Friday.
Major rift with key U.S ally
The accusation's seriousness was heightened by Napolitano's report that a super-secret British spy agency had conducted the wiretapping -- a claim that the UK government vehemently denied. Intelligence agencies have an understanding that spying on allies is not constructive. The UK called Napolitano's report "utterly ridiculous."
But White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer repeated the accusation last week while saying Trump stood by his accusation. Later reports hinted that Spicer apologized for the remarks.
Trump, at a Friday news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, again demurred to Napolitano when asked about the alleged wiretapping. “You shouldn’t be talking to me. You should be talking to Fox News,” said Trump.
Trump's voracious Twitter
Then, on Monday, FBI Director James Comey testified before Congress that he had no information backing up Trump's claims.
National Security Director Michael Rogers echoed that sentiment. Trump's voracious Twitter habit has become a concern for even his Republican supporters. But the president, in an interview last week with Fox News' Tucker Carlson, said he uses the platform to get around "the dishonest press."
Since before the fall election, Trump has hurled vitriol at the mainstream media, calling it "fake news." The animosity has continued into his presidency, with some news outlets denied entry into press events.