Back in March 2017 I presented a theory right here on FR that seemed almost obvious to me -- but only because it kind of jumped out like the solution to a puzzle I had been working on for some time.
I don't believe the "spying" in 2017 was really a spying exercise. As we learned from that dope Vindman and his cronies among various intelligence agencies and Congressional staff, there was nothing an outside needed to learn from inside the White House that they couldn't have obtained from other sources.
I have always believed that the illicit surveillance had one objective:
They wanted to plant evidence so they could retroactively establish a justification for illegal spying that had been going on for months during the 2016 election campaign -- and which would have remained undiscovered if Trump hadn't won.
These people must have been running around with their hair on fire as the election results were coming in late at night on Election Day 2016.
Thanks for your post/reply and your ping to me.