President Trump said Wednesday that Susan Rice, the former national security advisor to President Obama, may have committed a crime by allegedly using U.S. intelligence agencies to spy on Trump campaign officials during the election, according to The Washington Times.

“I think it’s going to be the biggest story,” Mr. Trump said in an interview with the New York Times. “It’s such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time.”

The newspaper pressed Mr. Trump on whether he thought Ms. Rice’s role in “unmasking” the identities of Mr. Trump’s associates who were swept up in the surveillance effort could amounted to a crime.

“Do I think? Yes, I think,” he responded.

Ms. Rice said Tuesday the notion she used her powers to unmask members of the Trump campaign or transition for political purposes was “absolutely false,” describing the activities as routine.

“Absolutely not for any political purposes — to spy, expose anyone. I leaked nothing to nobody,” she told MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell.