Trump demands ‘spying’ probe

United States President Donald Trump demands that the justice department investigate whether his presidential campaign was infiltrated or spied on for political purposes, prompting the department to say it would look into those issues.

Trump has described the infiltration allegations as being potentially “bigger than Watergate”, but Democrats say he is attempting to undermine the year-old investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with his campaign.

“I hereby demand, and will do so officially [yesterday], that the department of justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump campaign for political purposes – and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama administration!” Trump tweeted.

Trump’s angry order came amid building pressure from the Russia meddling investigation, and as US media reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation sent a Britain-based American professor to speak separately with Trump campaign advisers in 2016.

A New York Times report described the professor as an informant, saying the federal agency was looking into evidence that Carter Page and George Papadopoulos had suspicious contacts with Russia.

The Washington Post called him a longtime US intelligence source, and said he had met a third campaign adviser – Sam Clovis – as well as Page and Papadopoulos.

Trump and his supporters have cast the man as a mole possibly sent by the Obama administration to burrow into his campaign.
The justice department tasked its internal watchdog with looking into the issues raised by Trump. But it paired that inquiry with an existing review of the application process for national security warrants under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), which Republicans allege was abused in connection with the surveillance of Page.

“The department has asked the inspector-general to expand the ongoing review of the Fisa application process to include determining whether there was any impropriety or political motivation in how the FBI conducted its counterintelligence investigation of persons suspected of involvement with the Russian agents who interfered in the 2016 presidential election,” spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said.

Deputy attorney-general Rod Rosenstein, who oversees the Russia investigation, said: “If anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action.”

While Trump allies in Congress have demanded more information about the informant, law enforcement officials have refused, saying the source could be in danger if named.

Efforts to identify the FBI informant – and Trump’s claims – have drawn fire from Democratic legislators.

Senator Mark Warner, the Senate intelligence committee’s top Democrat, said: “It would be at best irresponsible, and at worst potentially illegal, for members of Congress to use their positions to learn the identity of an FBI source for the purpose of undermining the ongoing investigation.”

Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted: “Trump’s claim of an embedded spy is nonsense. His demand DOJ investigate something they know to be untrue is an abuse of power.” – AFP