Story highlights US intelligence intercepted communications between Trump advisers and Russians

These communications were intercepted during legal intelligence gathering

Washington (CNN) In the face of firm denials from House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Attorney General Jeff Sessions of any evidence that President Barack Obama wiretapped then-candidate Donald Trump, Trump appears now to be walking back his explosive accusation by redefining the terms of the charge.

"Wiretap covers a lot of different things," Trump told Fox News' Tucker Carlson in an interview aired Wednesday night. "I think you're going to find some very interesting items coming to the forefront over the next two weeks."

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer made a similar argument in the White Press press briefing Tuesday, telling reporters, "The President used the word wiretap in quotes to mean broadly surveillance and other activities."

JUST WATCHED Spicer changes his tune on wiretapping Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Spicer changes his tune on wiretapping 01:53

To be clear, when President Trump made the accusation in four early morning tweets on March 4, he did not describe surveillance in broad terms. He specifically accused the outgoing president of ordering wiretapping of the incoming president.

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

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