FBI probed if Trump was working for Moscow, says report

WASHINGTON: The FBI had been investigating if US President Donald Trump was working on behalf of the Russians, in the days after he fired director of the agency, James Comey, in May 2017, according to a New York Times report.

FBI investigators, who had watched candidate Trump’s remarks on Russia with some alarm, were concerned by his attempts to link Comey’s firing to the Russia probe in a note and an interview to NBC News.

The New York Times reported that the FBI investigation had two components. One was a counter-intelligence probe to determine if Trump was working on behalf of the Russians or was under their influence.

The second component was a criminal investigation into the possibility of obstruction of justice: determining if, by firing Comey, the US president had tried to prevent or stop the probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Just days later, though, special counsel Robert Mueller took over the investigation. The report said it was not clear if Mueller is pursing the counter-intelligence component. His brief is to probe the possibility of Russian interference, any collusion by members of Trump’s campaign, and “any other matters”.

Trump pushed back in a string of tweets on Saturday, in which he defended Comey’s firing, attacked the then FBI top brass.

“Wow, just learned in the Failing New York Times that the corrupt former leaders of the FBI, almost all fired or forced to leave the agency for some very bad reasons, opened up an investigation on me, for no reason & with no proof, after I fired Lyin’ James Comey, a total sleaze!” Trump tweeted.

He suggested that the Mueller probe was a witch-hunt, insisting that no other US president had been tougher on Russia than him.

Mueller’s team has handed out several indictments and jail sentences but none for any direct link to possible Russian interference.