MSNBC's Joy Reid Fact-Checks Conservative Pundit's False Claim That The FBI Is Investigating Obama For Wiretap Allegations

Reid: “We've Heard It From Comey. We've Heard It From The NSA. They Ain't Investigating That, Hugh.”

From the March 24 edition of MSNBC Live:

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KATY TUR (HOST): [House Intelligence Committee] Chairman [Devin] Nunes [R-CA] now saying that he can't be sure whether or not Donald Trump or his associates were actually surveilled. I'm sorry, wasn't that the entire point of him going to the White House? 

JOY REID: That's right. And the entire point of this unprecedented press conference where the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, the House Intelligence Committee, walks out to cameras and said, “A-ha, I've got the transcript. I've seen --” he said he had seen with his own eyes the evidence that there was surveillance on the Trump transition team, of which he was a member, by the way. So there's all sorts of conflicts of interests. I think the problem that Devin Nunes has had is that he has already shredded the credibility of himself and his committee, and every time he says more things, he makes that worse. He should probably stop saying things. 

TUR: Hugh, what's going on here?

HUGH HEWITT: Well, there are three investigations, and I have to disagree with my friend Joy. The first investigation is into Russia's interference with our election. That's proceeding. The second is into collusion between anyone on team Trump and Russia. That's proceeding. The third one, intimated by Chairman Nunes, is to whether or not there was abuse of political power, and that is proceeding. They're all run by the FBI, and whether or not one cares for the optics of Devin Nunes, I have great confidence in [FBI] Director [James] Comey. My one piece of advice to President Trump is he ought to call Director Comey and ask him if there is a subject of the investigation in any of those three categories in the White House so he or she could be removed. That's always very dangerous to have an FBI investigation pointed at the White House. But I am very confident that the FBI will get all three of those investigations squared up. And whether or not a special counsel is needed, that will be up to [deputy attorney general nominee] Rod Rosenstein when he is confirmed by the Judiciary Committee, which will probably come after [Supreme Court nominee] Judge [Neil] Gorsuch becomes Justice Gorsuch.

TUR: Hold on. Hold on. Let's get to Gorsuch in a minute. I want to keep focusing on intel. Do you think that Chairman Nunes, being a member of the transition, can do an independent investigation into the man that he served between the time that he was elected and inaugurated? Does this need to go -- for the American public to make sure that they know that this is not a partisan thing -- does this need to go to a special prosecutor, Hugh? 

HEWITT: That's a Rod Rosenstein decision once the deputy attorney general is confirmed. I have complete confidence in Devin Nunes. I know Democrats don't like him diverting the storyline away from the collusion investigation, which is also very important. But I have confidence in that committee. It's a very well staffed committee. There are a lot of professionals on it. Will Hurd [R-TX] is a former CIA officer. I think it will proceed, and I think that testimony in closed hearing tomorrow will yield some interesting leaks. And I do think a lot of Democrats are sweating about what happened during the transition. We'll find out.

TUR: Joy, your rebuttal?

REID: No Democrats are -- listen, OK. Hugh -- and I love Hugh Hewitt. Hugh and I are friends, and all of our assorted Twitter followers hate the fact that we're friends, but I love Hugh -- Hugh said one thing that was actually incorrect, and I want to make sure that I correct that. There are only two FBI investigations going on, not three. There is one investigation into, we believe, members of the Trump campaign, including Paul Manafort likely and probably including Carter Page, and whether they colluded with the Russians. There is also an investigation into sort of the larger Trump campaign and potential collusion with a foreign power. There is not -- the FBI is not investigating alleged abuse of power by the Obama administration. The FBI director said in an open hearing that they and the NSA have already concluded that Trump's lie about President Obama wiretapping him never happened. It didn't happen. We've heard it from Comey. We've heard it from the NSA. They ain't investigating that, Hugh. 

Previously:

The Life Cycle Of A Donald Trump Lie

Trump Invokes Right-Wing Media’s Misrepresentation Of NY Times Article To Defend His Wiretap Lie

The Press Seemed Amazed By Trump’s Wiretapping Lie, But Trump Lies About Everything