The US administration believes that Israel has spent the last two years installing listening devices near the White House and other sensitive locations in Washington, DC, the Politico reported on Thursday.
Although Trump has a warm relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and made for him numerous policy moves such as moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, ripping up the Iran nuclear agreement and heavily targeting Iran with sanctions, Israel became the suspect in planting those devices.
The Trump administration took no action to punish or even privately scold the Israeli government. One of the former senior U.S. intelligence officials joked, “On the other hand, guess what we do in Tel Aviv?”
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Security officials say that among professionals, the Israeli intelligence services have an especially fearsome reputation. But also they do sometimes mistakes and they are “not 10 feet tall like you see in the movies,” a former senior intelligence official noted.
Three senior U.S. officials have told Politico that Israeli efforts to spy on the White House have been exposed during President Trump’s presidency. The Washington Embassy spokesman denied the report, saying” these allegations are utter nonsense. Israel does not spy on the United States, period.
A White House official said the administration does not respond to security or intelligence issues.
The FBI also declined to comment, while the Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service did not respond to them.
