He upended the presidential election — twice. Now Democrats are pinning their hopes on the man many of them blame for Hillary Clinton’s loss to deliver a major blow to Donald Trump’s credibility. 
 
 FBI Director James Comey is set to face probing questions Monday about Russia’s involvement in the presidential election at a highly anticipated public appearance before the House Intelligence Committee. He's expected to be asked to confirm or deny the existence of criminal investigations into Trump or his campaign aides over ties to Moscow, though several committee members said Comey will likely decline to comment because doing so could undermine active probes. 
 
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 Key lawmakers in both parties say they will demand that the FBI director clear up, once and for all, Trump’s explosive claim that President Barack Obama ordered a wiretap of Trump Tower in the run-up to the election, according to interviews with more than a half-dozen members of the intelligence panel. 
 
 Democrats on the committee — still smarting over Comey’s double cameo in the election that even some Trump allies acknowledge gave Trump a big boost — are hoping it will amount to a stinging rebuke for the president from a trusted member of his own executive branch. 
 
 No matter what he says, the controversy-prone FBI director is guaranteed to anger one side or the other. 
 
 If he goes mum, he would open himself to charges of hypocrisy from congressional Democrats, after Comey's pre-election announcement that the FBI had discovered new Clinton-related emails and was reviewing them. The emails ultimately did not change the FBI’s recommendation not to pursue criminal charges. 
 
 But if Comey rebuts Trump’s bugging claim, he could incur the wrath of a notoriously thin-skinned president. 
 
 “If he publicly refutes it, I think that it sends a message to the president that he can’t make baseless accusations without being called on it,” said Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat. “I think he can be the exclamation point at the end of this.” 
 
 Trump triggered the wiretapping controversy with a series of tweets on March 4. The president wrote that he “just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory,” likening Obama’s actions to “McCarthyism” and calling the former president a “bad (or sick) guy.” 
 
 Since then, the White House has sought to recast Trump’s remarks, saying they weren't meant to be taken literally and should be interpreted as a broad reference to any surveillance of Trump or his campaign aides. 
 
 Rep. Devin Nunes, who chairs the intelligence panel, said Friday that while the president's claim was wrong that Trump Tower was wiretapped, it's clear that some Trump associates were at least under inadvertent surveillance. The California Republican pointed to former national security adviser Michael Flynn, whose phone calls with Russia’s ambassador were intercepted by the U.S. government and led to his firing last month. 
 
 “It was wrong from the beginning if you literally think President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower,” Nunes said. “That never happened. It was not even possible of happening. I think what they’re trying to say is, were there other techniques that were used?” 
 
 Earlier this month, Comey asked the Justice Department to publicly disavow Trump’s tweets, according to The New York Times. The department has not done so. The big question now is whether Comey, who has a reputation for fierce independence, will take it upon himself on Monday to issue his own public disavowal. 
 
 The hearing begins at 10 a.m. and is scheduled to last three hours. National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers is also scheduled to testify. 
 
 Lawmakers from both parties said they intend to press Comey on the wiretapping allegation. 
 
 “The American people deserve to know whether that’s true or not,” said Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), who chairs an intelligence panel subcommittee on defense intelligence. “If it’s not true, they need to know about it. If it is true, they need to know about it.” 
 
 Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee’s CIA oversight subpanel, said that if Comey contradicts Trump, it would be a major credibility issue for the president. 
 
 “It was such a deceitful claim by the president that I hope Director Comey clears it up once and for all — that what we all suspect is true, and what the evidence so far has shown, which is that it did not occur, that President Obama did not order the wiretapping of candidate Trump,” Swalwell said. 
 
 He and other Democrats acknowledged the possibility that Comey’s testimony on Monday could cause Trump, notoriously vengeful toward those who he perceives as undermining him, to lash out at his FBI director. They noted that it would be extraordinary, though, for Trump to fire Comey, who began his 10-year term in 2013. Only one FBI director has ever been dismissed by a president — William Sessions, who was removed in 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton after the release of a scathing ethics report. 
 
 “It would be very unusual for the president to lash out that way," said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), a member of the intelligence panel. "Then again, this president has shown an unusual streak.” 
 
 Comey’s testimony before the House Intelligence Committee is part of the panel’s larger investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election. The committee is holding another public hearing on March 28 with members of the Obama administration, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former CIA Director John Brennan and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who was fired by Trump in January after refusing to defend his first travel ban executive order in court. 
 
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 The Senate Intelligence Committee is also investigating Russia’s election meddling and has scheduled a public hearing for March 30. 
 
 Separately, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) last week threatened to hold up the nomination of Rodney Rosenstein as deputy attorney general until his panel receives a briefing from Comey on any Russia-related investigations. 
 
 Both congressional intelligence committees are looking into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow as part of their investigations — an issue Stewart said he hopes Comey will tackle on Monday. 
 
 “We want information on any investigations that are taking place,” said the Republican congressman. “There’s this story that the president was elected because of the influence of a foreign government. If that’s true, once again, that’s an enormous story, has enormous implications. The American people deserve to know whether that is true, as well.” ||||| WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers from both parties said on Sunday they had seen no proof to support the claim by Republican President Donald Trump that his predecessor Barack Obama had wiretapped him last year, adding pressure on Trump to explain or back off his repeated assertion. 
 
 Several Republicans last week urged Trump to apologize for the allegations he made in a series of tweets on March 4. The maelstrom also caused tension with key U.S. allies and threatens to distract Republicans from campaign promises on health care and taxes. 
 
 “I don’t know the basis for President Trump’s assertion,” U.S. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I do believe he owes us that explanation.” 
 
 Collins said she supported Trump as president, but she wouldn’t side with him if he “misstated what the facts are.” 
 
 FBI Director James Comey is expected to be asked about Trump’s claims when he testifies at a rare public hearing on Monday about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Russia has denied the assertion it was involved in hacked emails and other attempts to influence the race. 
 
 Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee holding the hearing, called Trump’s claims “patently false” and said he expected Comey to say as much on Monday. 
 
 The Justice Department on Friday delivered documents to congressional committees to help clear up whether the Obama administration spied on Trump. 
 
 Republican Representative Devin Nunes, who leads the House intelligence panel, said after receiving the material, he saw no evidence of wiretapping. 
 
 But Nunes, who served on Trump’s transition team, joined the White House in seeking to shift attention away from the controversies by calling for investigations of leaks to the news media. 
 
 Nunes said on “Fox News Sunday” that leaks to reporters about former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn were criminal and that his panel was probing whether other names were leaked. 
 
 Trump has been dogged by allegations that his associates had ties to Russian officials. He fired Flynn last month after reports he had discussed sanctions with Russia’s ambassador before Trump took office, without telling other White House officials. 
 
 “The one crime we know that’s been committed is that one: the leaking of someone’s name,” Nunes said. “Were there any other names that were ... leaked out?” 
 
 Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) speaks at a news conference with a bipartisan group of senators on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., to unveil a compromise proposal on gun control measures, June 21, 2016. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas 
 
 Nunes also said ahead of Monday’s hearing he had seen “no evidence” of collusion between Russia and Trump’s team. But Schiff, the panel’s top Democrat, said there was enough “circumstantial evidence” that he still had questions. 
 
 NOT BACKING DOWN 
 
 Meanwhile, the White House has not backed down on Trump’s surveillance claims. 
 
 The administration was forced to reassure key ally Britain after White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeated a Fox News analyst’s claim that a British intelligence agency helped Obama wiretap Trump. The British government strongly denied it. 
 
 The issue led to an awkward moment on Friday at a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel when Trump was asked about the wiretap claims by a German reporter. 
 
 Trump said he and Merkel had “something in common,” apparently referring to reports during the Obama administration that Merkel’s phone was bugged. The quip left the German leader looking bewildered. 
 
 Senior Republican Representative Tom Cole told reporters on Friday that Trump owed Obama an apology. Representatives Charlie Dent and Will Hurd, also Republicans, made similar comments. 
 
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 “I see no indication that that’s true,” Cole said of the wiretapping charge. 
 
 Unless Trump produces convincing proof, Cole added, “President Obama is owed an apology.” ||||| (CNN) The bizarre saga of President Donald Trump's claims that he was wiretapped by President Barack Obama last year reaches a dramatic climax Monday with FBI Director James Comey's testimony to the House Intelligence Committee. 
 
 It's a moment of political theater that could end in humiliation for Trump, with Comey expected to say that there was no wiretapping, debunking allegations that Trump has repeatedly refused to withdraw. 
 
 The hearing could also shed light on the state of FBI investigations into the extent of Russian meddling in the election campaign. Republicans hope Comey will state that there is no evidence of collusion between Trump aides and officials from Moscow, a move that could begin to break up a cloud of Russian intrigue that has stifled the early weeks of the administration. 
 
 Trump was trying to shift attention away from the wiretapping claims in a series of Monday morning tweets. 
 
 "James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!" Trump wrote shortly after 6:30 a.m. ET, followed by: "The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!" 
 
 James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 
 
 The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017 
 
 The controversy over the wiretapping claims was unleashed by stunning early morning tweets from the President at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida two weeks ago . He drew parallels to Watergate and McCarthyism and said Obama was a "Bad (or sick) guy!" for ordering surveillance of his New York residence -- allegations the former president quickly denied through a spokesman. 
 
 How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017 
 
 In one sense, the strange controversy over Trump's tweets has left the President in a position where he is most comfortable politically — at odds with the media and the political and intelligence establishment in Washington. 
 
 But it has also evolved into a political distraction at a time when Trump is facing fights over Obamacare repeal and the budget that will help define his first 100 days in office. This week, for example, the administration should benefit from favorable coverage of the confirmation hearings of Trump's respected Supreme Court pick Neil Gorsuch, but the Intelligence Committee hearing has the capacity to overshadow the judge's testimony. 
 
 JUST WATCHED The man who could replace Justice Scalia Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH The man who could replace Justice Scalia 00:48 
 
 JUST WATCHED Who is James Comey? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Who is James Comey? 01:05 
 
 Trump's failure to provide evidence for his wiretapping accusation -- effectively an allegation of criminal wrongdoing against the former administration -- or to draw back the claims tied his White House in knots as it sought to explain and finesse the tweets while sparing the President embarrassment. 
 
 But the effort stumbled as every key congressional figure associated with intelligence oversight said there was no evidence of wiretapping. Comey was "incredulous" about Trump's tweets, sources familiar with the matter told CNN. 
 
 The administration's isolation was clear on the eve of the hearing Sunday. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Rep. Adam Schiff: 'No, wiretap is a wiretap" Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rep. Adam Schiff: 'No, wiretap is a wiretap" 03:49 
 
 "Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No ... there never was," Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes told "Fox News Sunday." 
 
 The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, added on NBC's "Meet the Press": "I hope that we can put an end to this wild goose chase because what the President said was just patently false." 
 
 Allegations makes waves among allies at home and abroad 
 
 Trump's tweets are not just causing a political kerfuffle; they've sparked international diplomatic fallout. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Trump, Merkel meet at White House Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump, Merkel meet at White House 01:30 
 
 White House efforts to support the claims ended up embroiling two key European allies: Britain and Germany. Officials in London were livid that White House spokesman Sean Spicer cited an unsubstantiated report that Britain's Government Communications Headquarters -- the British equivalent of the NSA -- had been used by Obama in the operation. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose phone was once tapped by US intelligence, did not take kindly to Trump's quip that they had something in common Friday. 
 
 Also Friday, Trump's Justice Department sent classified information to Capitol Hill about the claims, but sources said it did not substantiate them. 
 
 The apparent lack of evidence for Trump's claims is causing consternation among the President's Republican allies and Democrats alike, and speculation about how he will respond if Comey testifies that they are baseless. 
 
 His unrepentant Friday news conference suggests the President will simply quadruple down on his claims, and ignore evidence against him. Such is the depth of feeling in Trump world that he is the victim of a plot by the establishment and the media to undermine his administration that he is unlikely to pay a heavy price among his devoted supporters. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Trump on wiretapping: Talk to Fox News Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump on wiretapping: Talk to Fox News 00:45 
 
 But the episode has again raised questions about whether Trump's penchant for defying facts and evidence — that helped him in his campaign — could exert a significant price on his presidency. 
 
 Some observers believe Trump is eroding credibility that he will need to rally Americans in a moment of national crisis. Trump's reliance on a Fox News report for his claim on British involvement, and not the testimony of his intelligence agencies, appears to indicate the most powerful man in the world is operating in a realm of conspiracy theories rather than facts. 
 
 "The wrecking ball it created now has banged into our British allies and our German allies, it's continuing to grow in terms of damage, and he needs to put an end to this," Schiff said on NBC. 
 
 "Now maybe this is the way he conducted his real estate business, with half-truths and sometimes no-truths and a lot of bluster. That, in my opinion, is no way to run a business. But it's an even worse way to run a country." 
 
 JUST WATCHED Rep.: Trump comments should appall Americans Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Rep.: Trump comments should appall Americans 01:35 
 
 Republican Rep. Tom Cole told reporters Friday that Trump should say sorry to Obama if he couldn't support his claims. 
 
 "Frankly, unless you can produce some pretty compelling proof, then I think that President Obama is owed an apology in that regard." 
 
 "If he didn't do it, (Trump) shouldn't be reckless in accusations that he did." 
 
 Looking at links between Trump campaign and Moscow 
 
 Some Democrats believe that Trump's perpetuation of the wiretapping claims represents an effort to distract from allegations that his campaign had inappropriate contacts with Russian officials. 
 
 "Really what they are doing is they are rolling smoke bombs into an investigation where the dots continue to connect around prior personal, political and financial ties with Donald Trump and his team and Russia," said Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, in an interview. 
 
 But the White House is angry that statements by former senior intelligence officials in the Obama administration -- and by top congressional figures -- that there is no evidence to substantiate the claims of alleged collusion with Russia is not getting more coverage. 
 
 "I think when it comes to the Russia story -- and the on-the-record sources who have been briefed by the FBI continue to conclude that there's nothing there -- you guys continue to fall back on these anonymous sources and perpetuate a false narrative," Spicer vented to reporters Thursday. 
 
 Other Republicans believe that Comey's testimony Monday could begin to ease the pressure on the White House over the Russia question. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Cotton: I haven't seen evidence of wiretapping Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Cotton: I haven't seen evidence of wiretapping 00:52 
 
 "I do think it's important that we look at the broader context here," Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday . "The House committee hearing tomorrow is going to be in part about the unsubstantiated allegations in the media and by some Democrats of collusion between Trump associates and Russian intelligence." 
 
 Cotton noted that former officials, including Obama's former director of national intelligence, James Clapper, have said that there was no evidence to substantiate such links. 
 
 "I think, ultimately, that matters more to most Americans, given the nature of the allegations that have been made in the past several months about Donald Trump and his campaign and some of his associates," Cotton said. 
 
 A Kremlin spokesman brushed off a CNN question Monday about Comey's hearing, calling the controversy "hysteria" and saying the Russian government had "nothing to add." 
 
 Trump's refusal to release his tax returns has meanwhile made it impossible for him to put speculation — which so far lacks evidence — that he has been compromised by business links to Russia. 
 
 CNN reported in February that there was constant contact between Trump campaign aides and Russians known to US intelligence last summer, citing multiple current and former intelligence, law enforcement and administration officials. 
 
 The frequency and the level of those contacts raised alarms in US intelligence and law enforcement circles. 
 
 Democrats say that pattern of behavior merits investigation — and could press Comey on Monday to say what he can in an unclassified setting about those contacts. 
 
 "At the outset of the investigation, there was circumstantial evidence of collusion. There was direct evidence, I think, of deception," Schiff said. 
 
 "And that's where we begin the investigation," he said. "Now I don't want to prejudge where we ultimately end up." 
 
 This story has been updated.
– FBI Director James Comey testifies before the House Intelligence Committee on Monday and there may be some angry tweets from the White House soon afterward: Comey is widely expected to tell lawmakers that there is no evidence to support President Trump's claim that former President Obama had him wiretapped, CNN reports. Rep. Devin Nunes, the committee's GOP chairman, said Sunday that documents received from the Justice Department on Friday indicated there was no wiretapping, the Washington Post reports. "Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No, but there never was, and the information we got on Friday continues to lead us in that direction," he told Fox. Nunes also called for an investigation of leaks to the news media, reports Reuters. The hearing, scheduled from 10am to 1pm, will focus on allegations of Russian interference in last year's election, and Nunes say he has seen no evidence of collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign. Comey is expected to be asked to confirm or deny the existence of Russia-related criminal investigations of Trump or his staffers, reports Politico, which notes that he might decline to comment to avoid jeopardizing active investigations, a move that would bring accusations of hypocrisy from Democrats still angry about Comey's decision to release information on the Hillary Clinton email investigation days before the election.