(CNN) The Justice Department said in a court filing Friday evening that it has no evidence to support President Donald Trump's assertion in March that his predecessor, Barack Obama, wiretapped the phones in Trump Tower before last year's election.

"Both FBI and NSD confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by the March 4, 2017 tweets," the department's motion reads. NSD refers to the department's national security division.

The motion came in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by a group pushing for government transparency, American Oversight.

On March 4, Trump tweeted: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"

"How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process," Trump also tweeted. "This is Nixon/Watergate."

Read More</s>The Justice Department has said in a court filing that there is no evidence to support President Donald Trump's assertion that the previous presidential administration wiretapped his headquarters in New York City's Trump Tower.

In a motion filed Friday, the Justice Department said "both FBI and NSD [the Justice Department's national security division] confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by the March 4, 2017, tweets" made by Trump, alleging former President Barack Obama's administration eavesdropped on him before the 2016 election.

Trump's tweet read: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"

Trump added in another tweet, "How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate."

Trump was referring to the breaking-and-entering scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon in the early 1970s, forcing him to resign in shame.

A spokesman for Obama, Kevin Lewis, responded to the tweets by saying Trump's allegation was "simply false."

Friday's motion was a response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by a group called American Oversight, which pushes for government transparency.

After Trump's allegations on March 4, then-FBI Director James Comey told Congress in a House intelligence committee hearing that there was no evidence to support Trump's claim.

American Oversight noted Comey's remarks in its response to Friday's motion, stating, "The FBI and Department of Justice have now sided with former Director Comey and confirmed in writing that President Trump lied when he tweeted the former President Obama 'wiretapped' him at Trump Tower."

The American Oversight query was "broader than the subject" of Trump's March 4 tweets, Justice Department official G. Bradley Weinsheimer wrote in the motion, so the Department of Justice could not respond to other portions of the request.

The motion filed on Friday says the Justice Department response does not "confirm or deny" existence of other records that might be relevant to American Oversight's request but must be withheld due to national security concerns, including disclosing "intelligence sources and methods."</s>The Department of Justice said in a court filing Friday it has no evidence that former President Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower, despite President Trump’s assertions.

The statement was made in a Friday court filing related to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by American Oversight, a liberal watchdog organization founded by former Obama administration officials.

“Both the FBI and NSD confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described the March 4, 2017 tweets,” the DOJ wrote in the court filing, posted online by American Oversight.

In March, the president accused the former president of secretly wiretapping the building in New York City where he lived and worked.

“Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory,” the president tweeted. “Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!”

Spokesman Kevin Lewis said in March "neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any U.S. citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false."

During a congressional hearing in March, then-FBI director James Comey said he knew of no evidence Trump Tower was wiretapped.

"With respect to the president’s tweets," Comey said, "I have no information that supports those tweets. We have looked carefully inside the FBI."

In its filing on Friday, the DOJ said the FBI confirmed it didn’t have such records “by consulting with personnel knowledgeable about Director Comey’s statements and the surveillance activities of the FBI.”

Citing the filing, the liberal organization accused the president of lying.

“The FBI and Department of Justice have now sided with former Director Comey and confirmed in writing that President Trump lied when he tweeted that former President Obama ‘wiretapped’ him at Trump Tower,” American Oversight executive director Austin Evers said in a statement.

FORMER OBAMA STAFFERS LAUNCH TRUMP WATCHDOG GROUP, ENCOURAGE INSIDERS TO REPORT WASTE AND FRAUD

In March, House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said members of the intelligence community "incidentally collected" communications from the Trump transition team during legal surveillance operations of foreign targets.

But Nunes said he was unsure whether the surveillance occurred at Trump Tower -- as the president has suggested.

Trump reacted by saying he felt “somewhat” vindicated by Nunes’ comments.</s>NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City is investigating Donald Trump’s practice of closing down the public atrium in Trump Tower for presidential campaign events that are off limits to the public.

In order to add more floors than zoning rules would otherwise allow, Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, agreed to create a two-story public atrium on the ground and lower floors of the building, which opened in 1983 on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.

But security staff wearing Trump badges spent several hours shooing away a growing crowd of New Yorkers and tourists from the doors on Tuesday morning after Trump decided to hold a news conference in the atrium to discuss his fundraising for veterans groups.

“Department of Building inspectors will be investigating the allegations that the (public atrium) was closed contrary to the building owner’s agreement with the city,” Joe Soldevere, a department spokesman, told Reuters on Tuesday.

There are scores of “privately owned public spaces,” or POPS, throughout New York City, intended as a trade-off between developers who want to build taller and preserving space for the public in the city’s densest neighborhoods.

In the case of Trump Tower, the 6,000-square-foot public atrium, which is lined with pink marble, must be open to the public between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day, a fact advertised in large gold letters over the building’s Fifth Avenue entrance.

As with other such spaces, it can be closed up to four times a year for a private event after permission from city officials.

Trump has held several events in the public areas of Trump Tower since launching his campaign in the atrium there last June.

Officials at the Department of City Planning, which grants permission to close a POPS for an event, and the Department of Buildings, which investigates violations, said they had no record of Trump ever seeking or being granted permission to shut out the public for a campaign event.

The investigation was prompted by media reports of the news conference.

Inspectors will seek evidence that the public was denied access without the city’s permission, including testimony from anyone turned away. Violations carry a $4,000 fine.

Michael Cohen, an executive vice president for the Trump Organization, said his staff was trying to locate the text of the agreement with the city, and could not immediately confirm or deny the suggestion that closing the atrium was a violation.

Trump lives in a penthouse in the tower with his family and has his main office there.

He previously battled with the city over the space, most recently after he replaced a bench there with a kiosk selling Trump merchandise. A city judge ruled the kiosk violated Trump’s agreement with the city, and Trump agreed to removed the kiosk in January and pay a $4,000 fine.</s>The Justice Department said in a court filing that it has no evidence to support President Donald Trump's assertion in March that his predecessor Barack Obama, wiretapped the phones in Trump Tower before last year's presidential election.

"Both FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and the NSD (National Security Division) confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by the March 4, 2017, tweets," the department's motion said on Saturday.

The motion came in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by a group pushing for government transparency, American Oversight, reports CNN.

On March 4, Trump tweeted: "Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!"

 

 "How low has President Obama gone to tap my phones during the very sacred election process," Trump also tweeted. "This is Nixon/Watergate."

Former FBI Director James Comey told the Congress in March there was no evidence to support the contention that Trump Tower had been wiretapped.

American Oversight said in a statement following the Justice Department's motion: "The FBI and Department of Justice have now sided with former Director Comey and confirmed in writing that President Trump lied when he tweeted the former President Obama 'wiretapped' him at Trump Tower," reports CNN.

The Justice Department also said in the motion that along with the FBI, it does "not confirm or deny the existence" of any other records that are responsive to the group's request, which was broader than the alleged wiretaps of Trump Tower.

The disclosure of the existence or non-existence of other responsive records "would cause harm to national security" and is therefore exempted under the law, the motion said.</s>× DOJ says it has no records related to Trump Tower ‘wiretaps’

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department says in a legal filing that it has no information about wiretaps President Donald Trump once claimed had been made of Trump Tower in New York.

The department’s National Security Division and the FBI “confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by” President Trump’s March tweets.

In those tweets, President Trump alleged President Barack Obama “had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower” prior to Election Day. He made similar assertions in several other tweets.

The FBI’s director at the time, James Comey, had said there was no evidence of a wiretap at Trump Tower.

DOJ reiterated that point in its motion for summary judgment in a case brought by open government advocacy group American Oversight. The group is seeking proof for President Trump’s unsubstantiated claims.</s>The US justice department has said it has no information about wiretaps that President Donald Trump claimed had been made of Trump Tower in New York.

The department's national security division and the FBI "confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by" Mr Trump's March tweets.

In those tweets, Mr Trump alleged President Barack Obama "had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower" before the election. He made similar assertions in several other tweets.

The FBI's director at the time, James Comey, had said there was no evidence of a wiretap at Trump Tower.

The justice department reiterated that point in its motion for summary judgment in a case brought by open government advocacy group American Oversight.

The group is seeking proof of Mr Trump's unsubstantiated claims.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says in a legal filing that it has no information about wiretaps President Donald Trump once claimed had been made of Trump Tower in New York.

The department’s National Security Division and the FBI “confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by” Trump’s March tweets.

In those tweets, Trump alleged President Barack Obama “had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower” prior to Election Day. He made similar assertions in several other tweets.

The FBI’s director at the time, James Comey, had said there was no evidence of a wiretap at Trump Tower.

DOJ reiterated that point in its motion for summary judgment in a case brought by open government advocacy group American Oversight. The group is seeking proof for Trump’s unsubstantiated claims.

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• Sheriff: Bodies believed to be 2 USF exchange students pulled from California river gorge</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says in a legal filing that it has no information about wiretaps President Donald Trump once claimed had been made of Trump Tower in New York.

The department’s National Security Division and the FBI “confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by” Trump’s March tweets.

In those tweets, Trump alleged President Barack Obama “had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower” prior to Election Day. He made similar assertions in several other tweets.

The FBI’s director at the time, James Comey, had said there was no evidence of a wiretap at Trump Tower.

DOJ reiterated that point in its motion for summary judgment in a case brought by open government advocacy group American Oversight. The group is seeking proof for Trump’s unsubstantiated claims.
• Download the WISH-TV app for your iPhone/iPad in the App Store
• Download the WISH-TV app in the Google Play store</s>The Justice Department says in a legal filing that it has no information about wiretaps President Donald Trump once claimed had been made of Trump Tower in New York.

The department's National Security Division and the FBI "confirm that they have no records related to wiretaps as described by" Trump's March tweets.

In those tweets, Trump alleged President Barack Obama "had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower" prior to Election Day. He made similar assertions in several other tweets.

The FBI's director at the time, James Comey, had said there was no evidence of a wiretap at Trump Tower.

DOJ reiterated that point in its motion for summary judgment in a case brought by open government advocacy group American Oversight. The group is seeking proof for Trump's unsubstantiated claims.

In a statement, the group's executive director, Austin Evers, said the FBI and Justice Department have sided with former FBI director James Comey, who testified to Congress that he knew of no evidence that Obama ordered wiretapping at Trump's namesake property in Manhattan.

"As the president and his legal team continue their smear campaign against Mr. Comey, Special Counsel [Robert] Mueller and others investigating him, this filing confirms that even Trump's own Department of Justice does not believe he has credibility on a key element of the Russia investigation," Evers said.

He continued, "With Special Counsel Mueller's team closing in -- and reportedly investigating attempts by Mr. Trump to mislead the public on Russia -- this filing serves as further proof that the president's words simply cannot be trusted."
Both the FBI and NSD declare that they possess no records indicating that Trump Tower in New York City, New York was wiretapped earlier in March.