On probe, Trump gets attention he wanted
when he pressured intelligence and law enforcement officials in a White House meeting. He wanted them to allow congressional Republicans to view highly classified information related to the Russia probe, including memos about the FBI informant.
Having heard reports that the FBI had sent an informant to talk to three of his advisers during the 2016 presidential election, Trump took this national security action to be evidence that his campaign was infiltrated for political purposes.
“Reports are there was indeed at least one FBI representative implanted, for political purposes, into my campaign for president,” Trump tweeted on Friday. “... If true - all time biggest political scandal!”
But the informant apparently was not “implanted” in the campaign. Identified by The Post, The Wall Street Journal and other media as Stefan Halper, an American who teaches at the University of Cambridge, he is a well-connected veteran of past Republican administrations. He was sent by FBI agents to talk to Trump campaign advisers, according to the Times, “only after (the bureau) received evidence” that the campaign aides “had suspicious contacts linked to Russia during the campaign.”
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein agreed this time to an apparent compromise: Investigating the investigators for any irregularities with FBI tactics would be left to the Justice Department’s inspector general. Either way, Trump appears to have accomplished what he wanted from this dust-up. He gave important attention to the alternative scenario that he and some of his conservative allies have been promoting.
Trump knows his audience well. A CBS News poll in early May, for example, showed how widely his talking points are being embraced. But Trump should remember that 76 percent said he still should cooperate with the investigation, if he’s asked to be interviewed.
As cynical as they may sound about Washington’s capacity for reform, Trump supporters do care about accountability. So should we all. It’s part of the glue that holds our democratic republic together.