Mediaboss Marketing

President Donald Trumps assertion, posted to Twitter, comes one day after the House Intelligence Committee issued seven subpoenas. | AP Photo

With a special counselor already at work investigating his campaigns potential ties to Russia and the former head of the FBI set to testify before Congress on the issue in the coming days, President Donald Trump on Thursday insisted again that the big story remains the alleged unmasking and surveillance conducted by the administration of former President Barack Obama.

Trumps assertion, posted to Twitter, comes one day after the House Intelligence Committee issued seven subpoenas, four of which were related to Russian interference in last years election and the possibility of collusion between the Kremlin and individuals with ties to Trump. Three others were related to unmasking, the process by which intelligence officials learn the names of Americans referenced in intelligence reports.

Story Continued Below

The big story is the unmasking and surveillance of people that took place during the Obama Administration, Trump wrote on Twitter.

Sign up for Morning Defense, a daily briefing on Washington's national security apparatus.

By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.

While the focus of much scrutiny from government investigations and the media has been on the ongoing Russia probes, unmasking and other surveillance activities have been a larger priority for the president in the months since he took office. He has accused Obama administration officials of using the unmasking process for political purposes to target Trump campaign and transition officials. Former national security adviser Susan Rice, the Obama administration official often at the center of the unmasking complaints, has denied using any intelligence materials or procedures for political purposes.

Trump has also accused Obama of illegally surveilling his Manhattan skyscraper in the weeks leading up to the campaign, although the president has offered no proof for his allegation and government officials have said they were unaware of any such activity.

Missing out on the latest scoops? Sign up for POLITICO Playbook and get the latest news, every morning in your inbox.

More:
Trump: The 'big story' is Obama's surveillance and unmasking ...