Trump: Campaign ‘spy’ a huge scandal
FBI leader: Bureau must protect its confidential sources.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump ramped up pressure against the Justice Department on Friday, raising concerns about the possibility of a government informant inside his presidential campaign and saying “if true” it is the “all time biggest political scandal!”
In a pair of tweets Friday morning, the president offered his latest salvo in a protracted battle between top federal law enforcement officials and Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill.
At the heart of the new twist in the fight is a confidential government informant who, according to current and former officials, met several times with two of Trump’s campaign aides.
“Reports are there was indeed at least one FBI representative implanted, for political purposes, into my campaign,” Trump wrote. “It took place very early on, and long before the phony Russia Hoax became a ‘hot’ Fake News story. If true — all time biggest political scandal!”
In another tweet, Trump quoted a Fox Business Network commentator who has said revelations of such an informant, if accurate, reflect an unfair investigation into the president. Trump added, “Really bad stuff!”
“’Apparently the DO J put a Spy in the Trump Campaign. This has never been done before and by any means necessary, they are out to frame Donald Trump for crimes he didn’t commit,’” the tweet said.
Lawmakers close to Trump have been fighting with the Justice Department and arguing it is abusing its authority in its Russia investigation. The lawmakers have demanded information from the department about some of the department’s most sensitive case files.
“It’s high time for transparency,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in a tweet Wednesday. In a letter this week, Jordan and other lawmakers asked the president to tell the attorney general to turn over all of the documents Congress has requested.
At least one government informant met with Trump’s former campaign aides, Carter Page and George Papadopoulos, current and former officials said.
On Wednesday, Christopher A. Wray, the FBI director, told lawmakers the bureau has always worked to protect sources and methods in investigations. Publicly disclosing them could jeopardize ongoing investigations. It also could put the informant’s safety at risk.
“Human sources who put themselves at great risk to work with us and with our foreign partners have to be able trust that we’re going to protect their identities and, in many cases, their lives and lives of their families,” Wray said. “And the day that we can’t protect human sources is the day the American people start becoming less safe.”