F.B.I. Used Informant to Investigate Russia Ties to Campaign, Not to Spy, as Trump Claims.
Source: nyt
President Trump accused the F.B.I. on Friday, without evidence, of sending a spy to secretly infiltrate his 2016 campaign for political purposes even before the bureau had any inkling of the phony Russia hoax.
In fact, F.B.I. agents sent an informant to talk to two campaign advisers only after they received evidence that the pair had suspicious contacts linked to Russia during the campaign. The informant, an American academic who teaches in Britain, made contact late that summer with one campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos, according to people familiar with the matter. He also met repeatedly in the ensuing months with the other aide, Carter Page, who was also under F.B.I. scrutiny for his ties to Russia.
The role of the informant is at the heart of the newest battle between top law enforcement officials and Mr. Trumps congressional allies over the F.B.I.s most politically charged investigations in decades. The lawmakers, who say they are concerned that federal investigators are abusing their authority, have demanded documents from the Justice Department about the informant.
Law enforcement officials have refused, saying that handing over the documents would imperil both the sources anonymity and safety. The New York Times has learned the sources identity but typically does not name informants to preserve their safety.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/us/politics/trump-fbi-informant-russia-investigation.html?
Thomas Hurt
(13,903 posts)is it really surprising that the fool is paranoid.
riversedge
(70,187 posts)YessirAtsaFact
(2,064 posts)uncle ray
(3,156 posts)they were probably about to be outed in some other way.
YessirAtsaFact
(2,064 posts)The repugnant goons wont rest until this person is outed.
Traitors screwing up another life.
FBaggins
(26,727 posts)There's more than enough in the reporting for at least Page and Papadopoulos to know who they're talking about.
Which makes "The New York Times has learned the sources identity but typically does not name informants to preserve their safety." nonsense.
procon
(15,805 posts)As an innocent man, he should welcome this news because the informant will now be able to totally validate his claim that there was no collusion with Russia.
Freethinker65
(10,009 posts)wishstar
(5,268 posts)apparently right wingers have been looking into the identity of this informant for months and Chuck Ross wrote an article about the informant back in March. Chuck Ross claims that FBI/DOJ have now leaked the info about the informer to the Wash Post and NY Times.
wishstar
(5,268 posts)I don't know how else so much detail could have been obtained except directly from either the informant or FBI agents with access to the investigations. Interesting that the informants' suspicions and warning about Flynn being compromised by Russia occurred back in 2014.
bluestarone
(16,906 posts)They just DO NOT care about America anymore
Gothmog
(145,129 posts)Corgigal
(9,291 posts)Surprise, and I want my govt to behave in this way for the national security. If a democratic candidate is running some shady behavior, I want someone from the inside being there. Some things are bigger then a party winning. This isn't a sport.
Response to elleng (Original post)
dalton99a This message was self-deleted by its author.
wishstar
(5,268 posts)Rather than FBI formally interviewing the Trump campaign staffers which could have caused existence of probe to leak out to public and could have caused Repub accusations of political interference by Obama Admin.
Can't help but think that situation we're in now may have been prevented if Trump/Russia probe and dossier had been exposed and blown wide open during campaign rather than the Clinton email investigation being blown out of proportion.
Turbineguy
(37,319 posts)to act guilty?
Has he noticed that Hillary Clinton is not President?