New York Times, 1/20/2017: “Wiretapped Data Used in Inquiry of Trump Aides”

Never forget that the media started the wiretapping claim – not Trump. A great example is the [in]famous front-page headline of the New York Times on Trump’s Inauguration Day (January 20, 2017) describing the wiretapping by the Obama administration. It is absurd the denials by the Left and mainstream media that “there was no wiretapping of the Trump campaign by the Obama administration,” as pointed out by NewsBusters.

[Maybe we should make t-shirts with this image.]

Part of the NYT article said: [Emphasis added]

This article is by Michael S. Schmidt, Matthew Rosenberg, Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo – NEW YORK, FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

WASHINGTON — American law enforcement and intelligence agencies are examining intercepted communications and financial transactions as part of a broad investigation into possible links between Russian officials and associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, current and former senior American officials said.

The continuing counterintelligence investigation means that Mr. Trump will take the oath of office on Friday with his associates under investigation and after the intelligence agencies concluded that the Russian government had worked to help elect him. As president, Mr. Trump will oversee those agencies and have the authority to redirect or stop at least some of these efforts.

It is not clear whether the intercepted communications had anything to do with Mr. Trump’s campaign, or Mr. Trump himself. It is also unclear whether the inquiry has anything to do with an investigation into the hacking of the Democratic National Committee’s computers and other attempts to disrupt the elections in November. The American government has concluded that the Russian government was responsible for a broad computer hacking campaign, including the operation against the D.N.C.

The counterintelligence investigation centers at least in part on the business dealings that some of the president-elect’s past and present advisers have had with Russia. Mr. Manafort has done business in Ukraine and Russia. Some of his contacts there were under surveillance by the National Security Agency for suspected links to Russia’s Federal Security Service, one of the officials said.

Mr. Manafort is among at least three Trump campaign advisers whose possible links to Russia are under scrutiny. Two others are Carter Page, a businessman and former foreign policy adviser to the campaign, and Roger Stone, a longtime Republican operative.

The F.B.I. is leading the investigations, aided by the National Security Agency, the C.I.A. and the Treasury Department’s financial crimes unit. The investigators have accelerated their efforts in recent weeks but have found no conclusive evidence of wrongdoing, the officials said. One official said intelligence reports based on some of the wiretapped communications had been provided to the [Obama] White House.

Counterintelligence investigations examine the connections between American citizens and foreign governments. Those connections can involve efforts to steal state or corporate secrets, curry favor with American government leaders or influence policy. It is unclear which Russian officials are under investigation, or what particular conversations caught the attention of American eavesdroppers. The legal standard for opening these investigations is low, and prosecutions are rare.

Special Note:
The same article was given different titles by the New York Times:
Their printed version: “Wiretapped Data Used in Inquiry of Trump Aides”
Online version: “Intercepted Russian Communications Part of Inquiry Into Trump Associates.”
Source:#*https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/us/politics/trump-russia-associates-investigation.html