President Trump’s top trade adviser recommended Stefan Halper, who is suspected of being an FBI informant linked to the Trump campaign, for an ambassador role in Asia, according to a report.
Peter Navarro, a White House trade adviser, suggested Halper for a position in the Trump administration during the presidential transition, Axios reported. A White House official told the outlet Halper was also in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in August for a meeting about China.
Halper reportedly floated himself for an ambassadorship in Asia, and Navarro submitted Halper’s name for a role. Navarro additionally recommended a dozen others for postings in the region, per Axios.
A White House official told the news outlet it’s typical for White House officials to suggest outside policy experts for positions in the administration.
President Trump demanded Sunday the Justice Department investigate whether the FBI “infiltrated or surveilled” his campaign for political purposes and has accused the bureau of embedding a “spy” in his campaign’s ranks.
Several newsrooms identified Halper, an American who recently worked at Cambridge University, as the source, while others used identifying information but withheld his name.
Halper reportedly sought out meetings with three Trump campaign officials, including campaign advisers Carter Page and George Papadopoulos, and campaign co-chair Sam Clovis.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., has been asking to view documents about the FBI’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. During an interview with Fox News Sunday, Nunes indicated there may have been numerous informants tied to the campaign.
Following a meeting among Trump, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein at the White House Monday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said White House chief of staff John Kelly would be working to set up a meeting between the FBI, Justice Department, Director of National Intelligence, and congressional leaders to review “highly classified and other information they have requested.”
The Justice Department also asked the agency’s inspector general to include in its investigation “any irregularities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s or Department of Justice’s tactics concerning the Trump campaign.”
