Donald Trump could order spy agencies to hand over intercepts — but he hasn’t

President Trump has not used his authority to compel U.S. spy agencies to turn over transcripts of all intercepted communication that mention him or his associates in dealings with Russia, the White House confirmed Friday.

The information could answer questions about alleged collusion with Russia or whether the Obama administration spied on Mr. Trump and his team, as Mr. Trump has charged.

The president’s handling of the vast resources of the U.S. intelligence agencies have been questioned as his administration struggles to overcome allegations of Mr. Trump’s ties to Russian meddling in the election.

When asked by a reporter about the president’s ability to request the transcripts, White House press secretary Sean Spicer flatly said, “No.”

He offered no explanation.

Mr. Spicer went on to say that the information emerging from the House Intelligence Committee probe continued to support Mr. Trump’s claims of being monitored.

Committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, California Republican, this week said that he received information about dozens U.S. intelligence reports that showed Trump transition officials were “unmasked” when picked up in incidental surveillance activities, which could be a violation of federal privacy laws.

Those reports were circulated throughout the U.S. intelligence agencies, he said.

FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers have been called to to testify in closed session next week for the committee’s investigations.

“Let’s wait and let that process evolve,” said Mr. Spicer.

Mr. Trump was harshly criticized for leveling the allegation on Twitter nearly three weeks ago that President Obama had Trump Tower’s “wires tapped.”

There has been no evidence of actual wiretapping, but Mr. Trump has insisted he used the term in the broader context of surveillance.

At the press briefing, Mr. Spicer said that the information coming out “continues to show that there was something there.”