THE RIGHT MOVE – AT 11:48 A.M. ET:  The White House is asking for a Congressional probe into charges that the Obama administration wiretapped Trump Tower during the presidential campaign.  From Fox: 

The White House on Sunday called for congressional investigations into its claims the Obama administration meddled in the 2016 election cycle in an attempt to gather information on then-Republican nominee Donald Trump.

“Reports concerning potentially politically motivated investigations immediately ahead of the 2016 election are very troubling,” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in the statement.

“President Donald J. Trump is requesting that as part of their investigation into Russian activity, the congressional intelligence committees exercise their oversight authority to determine whether executive branch investigative powers were abused in 2016.”

The statement follows an explosive allegation Saturday by Trump that former President Barack Obama ordered phones wiretapped at Trump Tower and also states that nobody in the administration “will comment further until such oversight is conducted.”

Trump’s wiretap allegations, in a series of tweets Saturday, and the ensuing White House statement are the latest developments in the ongoing story about Russia’s involvement in the 2016 presidential race -- particularly Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to influence the election for Trump over Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

COMMENT:  Trump is taking the right step.  I only hope that Republicans on Capitol Hill are awake enough to pounce, and grant the president his wish. 

We're getting all kinds of conflicting stories this morning on Trump's charge.  James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, asserted that there was no wiretapping, but hedged his statement by saying that there was none that he knew of, in his area of the government.  Not much of a denial.

Former Bush Attorney General Michael Mukasey said that Trump's charge was likely accurate, but that the impetus for the wiretapping probably came from the Justice Department.

We will get answers only through a thorough, public investigation.  The press is already siding with the president (shock of shocks), but experienced, determined lawyers and political operators can speak over the heads of the press.

March 5,  2017