The FBI sent investigator posing as assistant to meet with Trump aide in 2016

[pnwmom]

Source: NYT

WASHINGTON — The conversation at a London bar in September 2016 took a strange turn when the woman sitting across from George Papadopoulos, a Trump campaign adviser, asked a direct question: Was the Trump campaign working with Russia?

The woman had set up the meeting to discuss foreign policy issues. But she was actually a government investigator posing as a research assistant, according to people familiar with the operation. The F.B.I. sent her to London as part of the counterintelligence inquiry opened that summer to better understand the Trump campaign’s links to Russia.

The American government’s affiliation with the woman, who said her name was Azra Turk, is one previously unreported detail of an operation that has become a political flash point in the face of accusations by President Trump and his allies that American law enforcement and intelligence officials spied on his campaign to undermine his electoral chances. Last year, he called it “Spygate.”

The decision to use Ms. Turk in the operation aimed at a presidential campaign official shows the level of alarm inside the F.B.I. during a frantic period when the bureau was trying to determine the scope of Russia’s attempts to disrupt the 2016 election, but could also give ammunition to Mr. Trump and his allies for their spying claims.


Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/02/us/politics/fbi-government-investigator-trump.html

[elleng]

1. 'shows the level of alarm inside the F.B.I. during a frantic period

when the bureau was trying to determine the scope of Russia’s attempts to disrupt the 2016 election, but could also give ammunition to Mr. Trump and his allies for their spying claims.'

But it's not 'spying' when it's on an American. (Someone explained the difference last night, on one of the MSNBC shows.)

[dchill]

4. So, it kind of IS spying, eh?

[SunSeeker]

7. No, it was an undercover investigation of a potential crime, after being alerted to it by our allies

It was the FBI doing its job. Investigation is not spying.

Politically motivated, legally baseless "spying" is not what happened here. It is not akin to what Hoover did to MLK, for instance.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. No. It was an investigation. Spying is between counterparts. FBI not counterpart to campaigns. . .nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

10. Projection in tRump-RepubliCon eyes. Because they spy & cheat & suppress & obstruct,

... they expect everyone else to do it, but get all righteous when anyone else is caught and obstruct when they are caught.

[Iliyah]

2. Oh please . . .

Isn't that what FBI and CIA do?

These t-rump and his people are dumb.

[elleng]

5. Yes, that IS what they do.

[SunSeeker]

3. The FBI did everything to HELP Trump's "electoral chances."

They refused to reveal they were investigating the Trump campaign, but repeatedly bashed Hillary about her emails. Then Comey's October 28, 2016 letter reopening the investigation into her emails was the final nail in her electoral chances.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-comey-letter-probably-cost-clinton-the-election/


BTW, the FBI doing its JOB and investigating whether the Trump campaign was working with Russian spies is not politically motivated "spying." They were investigating a potential crime. What Hoover did to MLK, THAT was spying.

[asiliveandbreathe]

6. Just like the FISA warrants..the FBI was DOING ITS JOB

Somewhere along the line intelligence gathered, dictated what avenue to pursue - something triggered this for the FBI to send an investigator to London....will we ever know..or will trump/Russia keep spinning spygate….bs...

The FBI is responsible for both law enforcement and intelligence functions. On the intelligence side, it aims to protect the U.S. against terrorism, cyberattacks and foreign intelligence operations and espionage. It maintains the government's terrorist watch list and has been involved in the interrogation of "high-value" detainees.

[ancianita]

21. Exactly.The FBI also helps other countries' investigations in those countries at those countries'

request.

Once the FBI changed its mission from case-based to threat-based, its movements abroad are accepted abroad.

Trump doesn't know shit about the FBI. If he starts maligning them, he'll make himself a fool and will be shut down.

[lagomorph777]

8. I'm glad to hear they were doing their job.

[iluvtennis]

11. trumpanzees can't claim "spying". this is what our intel agencies do on day to day basis. that's

their job to protect out national security interests. And Russia was/still is an enemy of this country.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

12. Didn't he plead guilty?

What's the big scandal?

[Honeycombe8]

13. I wonder what the source on this is.

If they did that, that gives Trump something to base a claim of spying on. They may even claim she tried to entrap them.

Things like this...things that secret agents do...I don't think should be leaked.

[pnwmom]

14. They had good reason for sending her. He drunkenly told the Australian diplomat

that he was involved with the Russians.

[Honeycombe8]

15. I'm in no position to judge whether it was warranted or normal.

Just sayin'. This feeds Trump's monster of claims that he was spied on. And it's not a good idea to leak what our secret agents did or are doing, IMO. They are called "secret agents" or "undercover" for a reason.

[pnwmom]

16. "We" didn't leak it. Trump is President now and HE no doubt ordered the leak. n/t

[Honeycombe8]

17. Who told Trump? The FBI? Or maybe it's in Mueller's report.

I'd guess it's in the Mueller Report, probably redacted.

[pnwmom]

18. Right. As President, Trump can see all the redacted intelligence. n/t

[rockfordfile]

19. Absolutely they should have been spied on. Their collusion with Russia and Saudi was un-American

[ancianita]

20. The FBI has 50+ offices across the world, starting in the 70's. It does its job. Spygate, my ass.