Despite the protestations of preeminent intelligence officials, the White House has ordered that classified information about the FBI informant who infiltrated the Trump campaign be made available to all members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees.
According to a Thursday New York Times report, it is unknown if President Donald Trump or another White House official issued the command. The classified documents will center on the FBI informant’s interactions with campaign aides Carter Page and George Papadopoulos in the informant’s attempt to gain knowledge about their Russian contacts.
Intelligence officers—including FBI Director Christopher Wray and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats—warned that releasing the classified information would put both the informant and agency’s sources and methods at risk. The Trump administration steamrolled those concerns, bolstered by Trump’s fury that the FBI “spied” on his campaign, which he considers the “all time biggest political scandal.”
Congressional leaders have already received two briefings on the informant. Even staunch Trump ally Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) came out of the briefing agreeing that the FBI had had enough evidence to warrant the use and actions of the informant.
