Grassley asks FBI whether Trump campaign was briefed on Russian infiltration efforts
WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) inquired in a letter to FBI Director Christoper Wray on Wednesday whether the Bureau had informed the Trump campaign of potential Russian infiltration efforts, Grassley disclosed Thursday.
“I write to inquire about whether the FBI ever provided the Trump campaign with a defensive briefing or other warning regarding attempts to infiltrate the campaign by people connected with, or compromised by, Russian intelligence,” Grassley wrote in the letter.
Grassley’s letter alleged that: “if the FBI did not alert the campaign, then that would raise serious questions about what factors contributed to its decision and why it appears to have been handled differently in a very similar circumstance involving a previous campaign.”
The letter, which requests that Wray reply by Oct. 4, referenced recent reports that former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort might have been the subject of an FBI investigation last year.
Manafort resigned from the campaign ln August amid allegations of business ties with pro-Russian elements that had been part of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych’s government.
Multiple congressional committees are investigating Russia’s attempt to manipulate the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election as well as allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and high-ranking Russian officials.
Independent Counsel Robert Mueller III also is investigating the collusion allegations.
The New York Times on Monday reported that Mueller threatened Manafort with an indictment following a July FBI raid on the former campaign manager’s home. The Times based their report on interviews with unnamed sources.
This article is republished with permission from Talk Media News
Bryan is an award-winning political journalist who has extensive experience covering Congress and Maryland state government.
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