Advertisement

US makes formal apology to Britain after accusing UK spy agency of wiretapping

Click to play video: 'Trump stands by allegations of Obama wiretapping him, says Spicer'
Trump stands by allegations of Obama wiretapping him, says Spicer
WATCH ABOVE: Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said the media is mischaracterizing the use of the word “wiretapping” by President Donald Trump when he alleged Barack Obama had him under surveillance – Mar 16, 2017

LONDON – A spokesman for Britain’s prime minister says the White House has promised that it won’t repeat a claim that U.K. spies snooped on U.S. President Donald Trump.

READ MORE: Senate Intelligence Committee finds no evidence to support Donald Trump wiretap claim

Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman, James Slack, said the British government has made it clear to the U.S. that the “ridiculous” claims should be ignored. He said Friday that Washington has assured Britain they will not be repeated.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer on Thursday cited Fox News analyst Andrew Napolitano, who suggested that the British electronic surveillance agency GCHQ had helped former President Barack Obama spy on Trump before last year’s presidential election.

READ MORE: Donald Trump suggests more coming on explosive wiretaps allegation as support fades away

GCHQ took the unusual step of releasing a statement calling the claims “nonsense.”

Story continues below advertisement

It said “they are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored.”

Sponsored content

AdChoices