The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Why the FBI began looking at Trump-Russia
The FBI investigation into President Donald Trump that was opened almost immediately after he fired then-Director James Comey also included a counterintelligence component to determine if the president was seeking to help Russia and if so, why, according to people familiar with the matter.
What is it
Counterintelligence investigations are different than criminal probes, in that their chief purpose is to understand what a foreign adversary like Russia is trying to do to influence American society or counteract U.S. policies, and if any Americans are assisting in those efforts, either knowingly or unwittingly.
Why now
In the case of the investigation into President Donald Trump, the FBI’s decision to open a file on the president so quickly after James Comey’s firing as the director of the FBI in May 2017 was a source of concern for some officials at the Justice Department, because the FBI acted without first consulting leadership at the department.
What changed
Those worries were allayed when, days later, special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to oversee the Russia probe, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations.
FBI investigation
At the time the FBI began directly investigating Trump, the agency wanted to understand if he was attempting to obstruct justice by firing Comey, and understand the reasons for his behavior, which also included comments in an NBC interview two days after Comey’s dismissal.