FBI probe into Trump election campaign’s ‘ties to Russia agents’

Evidence: FBI director James Comey said the agency was investigating a "credible allegation of wrongdoing"
AP
David Gardner23 March 2017

Russian agents allegedly co-ordinated with Donald Trump’s presidential campaign over the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton’s election hopes, according to bombshell evidence being investigated by the FBI.

CNN quoted US officials as saying the alleged collusion with suspected Russian agents was partly what FBI director James Comey was referring to on Monday when he confirmed to Congress that the agency was examining the Trump campaign’s ties with Moscow.

The information being investigated is said to comprise of travel, business and phone records as well as accounts of meetings and “human intelligence”.

But while the officials claimed the evidence had raised the suspicions of US counter-intelligence investigators, they emphasised to CNN that inquiries were still ongoing and that the information was not conclusive.

At the height of the hard-fought election campaign last summer, the US accused Russia of orchestrating the release of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and key Clinton campaign officials in a bid to influence the outcome.

The Russians and Mr Trump’s associates was now the focus of an FBI probe
REUTERS

The release and publication of the hacked emails is protected in part by America’s freedom of speech laws but a collusion between US campaign officials and a foreign power would be a much more serious matter.

One law enforcement source quoted by CNN suggested the intelligence being examined indicated that “people connected to the campaign were in contact and it appeared they were giving the thumbs up to release information when it was ready”. However, other US officials claimed that although the alleged contact between the Russians and Mr Trump’s associates was now the focus of the FBI probe, the information was largely circumstantial and it was premature to draw conclusions.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer was quick to insist on Monday that there was no collusion, saying: “Investigating it and having proof of it are two different things.”

He was speaking after Mr Comey told US politicians during questioning on Capitol Hill that the FBI had launched an investigation because it had gathered “a credible allegation of wrongdoing or reasonable basis to believe an American may be acting as an agent of a foreign power.”

Four former Trump campaign officials — Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone and Carter Page — have been investigated by the FBI over their alleged links with Moscow. All have denied any improper contacts. CNN said none of them are known to feature in the evidence being reviewed by the FBI.

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