RUSH: Before proceeding here on the investigatory efforts of the Obama Regime against Trump, I want to take just a brief diversion back to the New York Times story on January 20th, 2017. Remember, this is the story — and we could get the actual cutout of the front page that day and put it at RushLimbaugh.com. But the headline: “Wiretapped Data Used in Inquiry of Trump Aides.”

Folks, I mean, the idea that Trump’s allegation here is absurd, I’m telling you, there is far, far more substance to what Trump is alleging than the entire thing that the Democrats and the media are alleging. There is no evidence that the Russians had anything to do with the outcome of our election, none, and there won’t be any, because the Russians didn’t.

But there’s all kinds of evidence, circumstantial and suspicious and common sense that this is what the Obama administration did. We’ve got countless examples of them wiretapping. We’ve got their “house organ” admitting that wiretap data was used in the inquiry of Trump aides. But one of the names on this story, one of the reporters is named Michael S. Schmidt.

Now, I want to share something with you about the actual story accompanying this headline, “Wiretapped Data Used in Inquiry of Trump Aides.” And this comes from a blog called Yid With Lid. “In January Michael S. Schmidt perpetuated the rumor that Team Trump had Russian connections, and to support his point he said that Trump’s people were wiretapped –” Michael S. Schmidt in the New York Times perpetuating the rumor that Trump had Russian connections and maybe affected the election, “and to support his point he said that Trump’s people were wiretapped.”

Well, how does he know? Somebody in the Regime, in the outgoing Regime, somebody had to share with him the data on the wiretaps, somebody had to tell him there were wiretaps, somebody had to tell him what the wiretaps had produced, ’cause he’s writing about it in the New York Times. But yet when Trump over the weekend claims they were wiretapped, this same guy, Michael S. Schmidt who wrote the piece in January, said there was no evidence that Trump had been wiretapped.

Now, folks, January 20th, New York Times, Michael Schmidt wrote that Team Trump had Russia connections, and to support his point, said that Trump’s people were wiretapped, and that’s in the New York Times in January. So Trump tweets over the weekend that Obama’s wiretapping him, and how low that is and what Trump thinks of it and so forth. This same reporter comes back and says there’s no evidence of that. Trump’s a lunatic. There’s no evidence that. Trump’s insane.

Well, now how can this be? The New York Times has the word “wiretapped” in a headline. The writer, one of three on the piece, claims that Trump had Russian connections and to support the point, he said that Trump’s people were wiretapped. So Trump comes along, “Yeah, I was wiretapped.” Same reporter: “There’s no evidence of that.” Now, what’s going on at the New York Times? How in the world — do they know what they’re doing or did they just forget what they did? Are they so obsessed with hatred — and that’s what the Democrat Party and the left has become, folks.

If you’ve ever wondered what hate in politics looks like, if you’ve ever wondered what a hate group is, don’t listen to that Looney Toon at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Just listen to the people on the left, because this is pure, undiluted, raw hatred, and it is for Donald Trump and everybody who voted for him. Raw hatred does not build a movement. Raw hatred does not build success. Raw hatred destroys. Raw hatred is destructive.

These people at the New York Times write in January that Trump was wiretapped and that’s why we know he was working with the Russians. A month and a half later, Trump claims Obama wiretapped him, and the New York Times writer says, “There’s no evidence of that.” Well, was there no evidence when you wrote about it in January or did you forget what you wrote in January? Is it your raw hatred for Trump, your raw resentment at having lost, is that what’s causing you to lose every ounce of credibility, morality, authority, and credibility that you’ve got?

It’s not Trump who has some explaining to do. It’s not you who voted for Trump who have some explaining to do. You don’t need to justify yourselves, nor does Trump. But the people running this silent coup, the people in the media trying to unseat, trying to damage, trying to sabotage Trump, they have a lot of explaining to do.

And it’s only going to get worse because it is obvious that there’s nothing factual or very little that’s factual that is backing up everything these people are using to try to destroy Trump. It’s nothing but pure, raw hatred, and it’s on display for everybody to see.