Trump Claims ‘Illegal’ Spying After FBI Releases Documents On Former Aide
By RFE RL
(RFE/RL) — U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed that newly released documents relating to the wiretapping of his former presidential campaign adviser Carter Page confirmed with “little doubt” that intelligence agencies misled the courts that approved the warrant.
The FBI released documents on July 21 related to the surveillance of Page as part of its probe into whether the aide conspired with the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
In a series of tweets on July 22, Trump said it was “looking more & more like the Trump Campaign for President was illegally being spied upon.”
Referring to the Page documents, he said: “As usual they are ridiculously heavily redacted but confirm with little doubt that the Department of ‘Justice’ and FBI misled the courts. Witch Hunt Rigged, a Scam!”
The heavily redacted 412-page release shows the FBI believed that Page had “been collaborating and conspiring with the Russian government.”
The FBI also said that it “believes Page has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian government.”
Page has denied being an agent of the Russian government and has not been charged with any crime. He left the Trump campaign in September 2016 after reports surfaced about his meetings with Russian contacts.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement on July 21 that “these documents provide clear evidence of ‘Russia’s coordination with Carter Page,’ a high-ranking Trump campaign official, ‘to undermine and improperly and illegally influence the 2016 US presidential election.'”
