James Clapper, a former director of national intelligence, said Sunday he was “absolutely” unaware that the FBI had a confidential source in contact with three Trump campaign associates during the presidential election.
“I did not know about it nor would it be appropriate for any DNI to know about the specifics of informants, their identities, or what they’re doing on the part of the FBI. There are lots of reasons for that, not the least of which is confidentiality and the protection of the informants,” Clapper told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
The informant who assisted the FBI’s Russia investigation has been identified by media reports as former University of Cambridge professor Stefan Halper.
Trump earlier this week accused Clapper of admitting there was a “spy” embedded in his campaign after Clapper said, “They were spying on — a term I don’t particularly like … what the Russians were doing. Trying to understand, ‘Were the Russians infiltrating? Trying to gain access? Trying to gain leverage or influence?’ Which is what they do.”
[Trump challenges DOJ and FBI: Prove informant wasn’t spying to benefit rival campaign]
A group of lawmakers were briefed on the FBI’s confidential source Thursday after Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., demanded documents about the source. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said after the briefing there was “no evidence” of a spy in the Trump campaign. Trump, however, has labeled the situation “spygate,” calling it potentially one of the biggest political scandals in history.
