The House Judiciary Committee is currently investigating claims from a whistleblower report that suggests the FBI launched an unauthorized operation to target former President Donald Trump shortly after he declared his presidential candidacy in June 2015.
According to a protected disclosure made by an FBI agent involved in the early investigation, this operation was off-the-books and involved two female FBI undercover agents. These agents reportedly infiltrated Trump’s 2016 campaign at high levels and acted as “honey pots.” They were instructed to travel with Trump and his campaign staff, gathering intelligence under this guise.
According to a report reviewed by The Washington Times, the whistleblower disclosure details an investigation that diverges significantly from the later Crossfire Hurricane counterintelligence operation, which focused on Russian collusion. This earlier probe, described in the whistleblower’s report as an off-the-books criminal investigation, targeted Trump and his 2016 presidential campaign staff directly.
The whistleblower, an FBI agent involved in the initial stages of the investigation, claims to have personal knowledge of then-FBI Director James Comey’s direct involvement. The disclosure states that Comey not only ordered the FBI investigation against Trump but also personally directed its activities.
Crossfire Hurricane was the code name for an FBI counterintelligence investigation launched in July 2016 to look into possible links between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election. The investigation’s goal was to determine whether individuals associated with the Trump campaign were coordinating with Russia. The investigation began following a tip from an Australian diplomat who reported that Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos had mentioned Russia had dirt on Hillary Clinton in the form of emails. According to the whistleblower, undercover agents, referred to as “honey pots,” specifically targeted Trump campaign adviser Papadopoulos.
In 2017, Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel to take over the investigation after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. In 2019, U.S. Attorney John Durham was appointed to review the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. Durham’s findings, released in 2023, criticized the FBI’s handling of the case, noting that it relied on weak evidence and did not follow proper procedures.
A spokesperson for the House Judiciary Committee confirmed that the committee received the allegations from the whistleblower and is set to investigate them. The whistleblower claims that an undercover operation was concealed from Michael E. Horowitz, the Justice Department Inspector General, during his investigation into the bureau’s handling of the Trump campaign. Additionally, the whistleblower’s disclosure suggests that the clandestine investigation could reflect an institutional bias against Trump. However, it was noted that “it does not appear that any information about this investigation was turned over to Trump’s criminal defense counsels.”
Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker described the allegations as a “booming, egregious violation” of the regulations that bind the attorney general and the FBI, according to The Washington Times. Swecker expressed his concerns about the implications of such actions, emphasizing, “It’s an unpredicated infiltration of a presidential campaign which is sensitive. It’s sensitive to the point where it would have to have been approved by the [attorney general], and … would have to be predicated. And in this case, I’m not hearing any predication. It would have to be on the books anyway, regardless.”
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