Trump Blames Brits For Spying A Day After Accepting A U.K. State Visit Invitation
Just one day after accepting an invitation to visit London this summer — as a part of a state visit — Donald Trump is once again fanning the flames that British intelligence played a role in spying on his 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.
The Daily Mail is reporting that Trump is once again promoting his theory that British intelligence helped President Barack Obama spy on the Trump campaign, saying that he can’t wait for “the truth to come out.”
Trump’s accusations against British intelligence come one day after he and First Lady Melania Trump accepted an invitation to travel to Great Britain in June which will include a meeting with Queen Elizabeth. On Twitter, the president cited former CIA analyst Larry Johnson as his source for the theory about British spies working with the Obama administration.
”Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson accuses United Kingdom Intelligence of helping Obama Administration Spy on the 2016 Trump Presidential Campaign.” @OANN WOW! It is now just a question of time before the truth comes out, and when it does, it will be a beauty!”
Johnson is best known for previously spreading a hoax about First Lady Michelle Obama using racist language in reference to white people at a church visit.
#TogetherAgainstTrump Join the mass protests against #racist #Trump state visit. Tuesday 4 June #London https://t.co/dv6DFQf55a https://t.co/bosgOPpEk3
— Stand Up To Racism (@AntiRacismDay) April 23, 2019
Johnson has claimed for years that the British government worked with Barack Obama to spy on the Trump campaign, but British intelligence agencies like GCHQ — the country’s electronic espionage agency — call the claim “utterly ridiculous.”
British Prime Minister Theresa May’s office was asked about the timing of Trump’s tweets in reference to the upcoming state visit. May stated that the relationship between the U.K. and the U.S. is a special one.
“We share intelligence that we do not share with other allies. That unparalleled sharing of intelligence between our countries has undoubtedly saved British lives. A state visit is an opportunity to strengthen our ties.”
MSNBC says that the last time Trump and Fox News mentioned the unfounded rumor, the White House apologized, and the network backed off on reporting about Johnson’s theories after the British government took issue with the reporting.
But considering the stress placed on the relationship between Trump and May the last time the president shared this rumor, the timing of its reappearance — just after accepting a warm invitation to Buckingham Palace — seems odd and curious.
At this time, the Trump tweet about Obama working with British spies has not been deleted from the social media platform.
