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What's behind Trump's FBI spy theory?
CBS "News" ^ | May 18, 2018

Posted on 05/18/2018 2:27:54 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

President Donald Trump and his supporters are circulating an explosive theory: The FBI, they say, may have planted a mole, or "spy," inside the 2016 campaign to bring him down. The unverified allegation has lit up conservative media and earned space on Trump's Twitter feed just as special counsel Robert Mueller enters his second year in the Russia probe.

But where did the allegation come from?

Like many conspiracy theories, it appeared to grow out of a less sensational truth: U.S. surveillance on foreign officials - a common practice in the world of spycraft - likely picked up what's called "incidental" communications with Americans in Trump's orbit. That included former national security adviser Michael Flynn's discussions with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. during the presidential transition.

At issue now isn't a wiretap, but the identity of a top-secret FBI informant who allegedly helped investigators on the Russia probe. Trump and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, say they suspect the FBI planted someone inside the campaign as a setup.

This claim actually isn't new for Trump supporters either. But it seemed to find new life after news reports confirmed the existence of a confidential source in the Russia investigation. The conservative National Review suggested the puzzle pieces all point toward a mole, attracting Trump's attention.

"If so, this is bigger than Watergate!" Trump tweeted.

The FBI and Mueller have been extraordinarily tight-lipped about the investigation, providing few public clues on what sources they are relying on or where the probe is headed.

Mr. Trump and his lawyer, Giuliani, acknowledge they don't have the answers either. But that hasn't stopped them from floating the mole theory as a way of undercutting Mueller's work as an attempt by liberals to bring down the president.

(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ap; fact; fbi; informant; jamesclapper; mole; notatheory; russia; spy; trumprussia; trumpwiretaps; witchhunt
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

It’s not just a theory when the FBI admits it. The FBI has no motivation to leak something that isn’t true when it makes th FBI look bad.


41 posted on 05/18/2018 9:35:37 PM PDT by WASCWatch
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Leave it to CBS to report it as some wacky “vast right wing conspiracy”. Nice try, CBS, but the jig is up.


42 posted on 05/18/2018 9:38:26 PM PDT by Flaming Conservative ((Pray without ceasing))
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To: Alberta's Child

So, Clapper saying on CNN, that it was a good idea for the FBI to plant a spy in Trump’s campaign, was what?


43 posted on 05/18/2018 9:42:18 PM PDT by Flaming Conservative ((Pray without ceasing))
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

THIS is what’s behind it:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/17/us/politics/white-house-leaks.html

Rather, the intended effect. It’s a backfire.


44 posted on 05/18/2018 10:46:49 PM PDT by logi_cal869 (-cynicus-)
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