Long before he tweeted about wiretaps, Donald Trump has been worried about recorded conversations.
Three former Trump executives from Trump's real estate company have told The Associated Press that Trump has been concerned with telephone surveillance for years.
One of them said Trump occasionally used a tape recorder during calls. Others say he often expressed concerns about listening devices and secure lines.
In a 2015 radio interview, Trump said he assumes people are listening to his conversations when he picks up the phone.
A White House spokeswoman didn't return an email seeking comment from Trump.
Earlier, The White House struggled to answer whether it believes the president is the target of a counterintelligence investigation.
When first asked whether Trump is the subject of such a probe, press secretary Sean Spicer said the White House needed to find that out.
Spicer revised his response later in the briefing after an aide handed him a note.
"I just want to be really clear on one point, which is there is no reason that we have to think that the president is the target of any investigation, whatsoever," Spicer said. "
Over the weekend, Trump alleged on Twitter that then-President Barack Obama had Trump's telephones tapped during last year's presidential election. Trump cited no evidence.
An Obama spokesman denies the allegation.
