INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Donald Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion with Russia
(File)WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday escalated his attacks on the Justice Department,
suggesting that the FBI may have planted or recruited an informant in his 2016 presidential campaign.Trump stopped short of accusing the FBI
of spying on his campaign, instead citing unnamed reports that at least one FBI representative was "implanted" for political purposes into
his campaign."If true - all time biggest political scandal!" Trump said in a tweet
Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, now one of Trump's personal attorneys, almost immediately undercut Trump's speculation about an
"I don't know for sure, nor does the president, if there really was one," he told CNN."For a long time we've been told there was some kind
of infiltration," Giuliani said
"At one time, the president thought it was a wiretap."Neither Trump nor Giuliani provided any evidence of government infiltration into
Trump's presidential campaign.With Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigating possible collusion between Trump's election campaign team
and Russia, Trump and some of his allies have alleged that elements inside the Justice Department are seeking to undermine his
administration.Trump has denied any collusion with Russia and repeatedly called Mueller's investigation a "witch hunt." Russia has denied
presidential election.Glenn Simpson, who heads a consulting firm in Washington and hired former British spy Christopher Steele to
investigate Trump's dealings with Russia prior to the campaign, testified last August to the Senate Judiciary Committee that some of what he
collected was "human source intelligence."Simpson, however, did not tell the committee anything that could substantiate suggestions that U.S
authorities might have inserted an informant into the Trump campaign.The FBI declined to comment on Friday.CNN reported that U.S
officials said, "The confidential intelligence source was not planted inside the campaign to provide information to
investigators."Nevertheless, some Republicans are demanding classified documents related to the alleged informant
The Justice Department has refused to provide them.The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner, warned members of
Congress against publicly outing FBI sources."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 into Russian
interference in our election," Warner said in a statement.FBI Director Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, on Wednesday cited the need to
protect people who cooperate with law enforcement or intelligence officials.Trump's allies also charge that Mueller has exceeded the bounds
of his authority by investigating the financial dealings of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort.Mueller so far remains undeterred by
attempts to discredit the investigation or distract attention from it, according to one source familiar with the probe.His office has
negotiated a plea agreement with Manafort's former son-in-law, Jeffrey Yohai, that requires him to cooperate with other probes, Reuters
reported on Thursday.(Reporting by Sarah Lynch and John Walcott; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Leslie Adler)© Thomson Reuters 2018(Except for
the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
