White House once touted FBI informant's support for Trump's trade agenda

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https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/31/stefan-halper-white-house-trade-615891

Before President Donald Trump tagged him a "spy" who had "infiltrated" his campaign, Stefan Halper had a different relationship with the White House: helping advance Trump's trade agenda with China.

In recent weeks, Halper has found himself at the center of the media cycle after reports that the FBI used him as an informant to contact several members of the Trump campaign as part of its investigation into whether the campaign was coordinating with Russia on its election interference efforts.

But months before Halper’s name surfaced in the press, the White House was citing him to promote its agenda. In a White House press release from August 14, 2017, titled "Praise for President Donald J. Trump’s Memorandum on Chinese Trade Practices," Halper is a featured voice in support of Trump's call for an investigation of China's theft of intellectual property — a move critics worried would damage relations between the two nations.

Nestled between quotes from a scholar from the conservative Hudson Institute and former congressman Randy Forbes, Halper — identified as a professor from the University of Cambridge — issued a glowing assessment of Trump's decision.