Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

7 hours ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

11 hours ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

11 hours ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

12 hours ago

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

12 hours ago

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

12 hours ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

12 hours ago

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

12 hours ago
AP Fact Check: Trump Wrong To Say Records Show FBI Cover-Up
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
July 23, 2018

Share

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is mischaracterizing newly released FBI documents on the agency’s wiretapping of Carter Page, a one-time campaign adviser. Among his false claims is that the FBI relied on a politically tainted source and withheld that aspect from the court. The documents, available online after media outlets sued for their release, actually suggest the opposite.
Here’s a look at how Trump’s tweets Monday run counter to the truth:
TRUMP: “Carter Page wasn’t a spy, wasn’t an agent of the Russians — he would have cooperated with the FBI. It was a fraud and a hoax designed to target Trump.”
THE FACTS: Trump is quoting conservative activist Tom Fitton, who appeared on Fox News early Monday. But this assertion flatly contradicts the FBI’s characterization of Page as “an agent of a foreign power.”
Page denied this description over the weekend. However, according to the FBI, Page “has been the subject of targeted recruitment by the Russian Government” and Russia’s goal was “to undermine and improperly and illegally influence the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.”
The documents state “the FBI believes that the Russian Government’s efforts are being coordinated with Page and perhaps other individuals associated with” Trump’s campaign.

Persuading Court to Approve a Wiretap

TRUMP, on how he thinks the FBI persuaded a court to approve a wiretap of Page: “Source #1 was the major source. Avoided talking about it being the Clinton campaign behind it. Misled the Court to provide a pretext to SPY on the Trump Team. Not about Carter Page … was all about getting Trump. …”
THE FACTS: Again, Trump appears to be quoting Fitton. And again, the claims directly contradict findings by the FBI and what was known previously about the Russia probe.
“Source #1” is widely believed to refer to Christopher Steele, a former British spy with extensive Russia connections. As a private consultant, Steele was hired to investigate Trump’s ties to Russia as part of opposition research funded by Democrats.
The result of that research was the now-famous “dossier” that provided a detailed narrative of how the Russian government supposedly collaborated with Trump’s Republican campaign in an elaborate operation to tilt the 2016 presidential race in his favor.
Trump and his supporters wrongly suggest that the FBI covered up the link between Steele’s work and its Democratic funding, and they argue Steele can’t be taken seriously because of those connections.
The latest documents, however, plainly note the possible political motive behind hiring Steele: “The FBI speculates that the identified U.S. person was likely looking for information that could be used to discredit” Trump’s campaign.
Still, the FBI told the court, it has found Steele’s “previous reporting history with the FBI” to be “reliable” and “credible.”
Trump’s laser focus on Steele ignores other facts as well, including that Page had previously lived in Russia and was on the FBI’s radar as early as 2013, when it suspected Russian intelligence agents were trying to recruit Americans.
Also, by the time the FBI requested the wiretap on Page in October 2016, the agency’s Russia probe was already in full swing. The investigation was initiated in July 2016, the same month Page went to Russia, where the FBI says he met “with at least two Russian officials during this trip.”

Classified as Cover-Up

TRUMP: “It was classified to cover up misconduct by the FBI and the Justice Department in misleading the Court by using this Dossier in a dishonest way to gain a warrant to target the Trump Team. This is a Clinton Campaign document. It was a fraud and a hoax designed to target Trump. …”
THE FACTS: Wiretap requests are routinely classified to protect sources and methods, not to cover up misconduct by the FBI or Justice Department.
Multiple news organizations, including The Associated Press, requested that the government release the documents under the Freedom of Information Act. The New York Times and others sued for its release, resulting in the documents being posted to the FBI’s website.
It’s also not correct to call the Steele dossier a “Clinton Campaign document.” Steele was hired by Fusion GPS, a private research firm that in turn was hired by a law firm that represented the Democratic campaign. But Clinton’s closest aides said they didn’t learn about the research until after the election, which is probable considering they never raised the allegations publicly.
 

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

DON'T MISS

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

DON'T MISS

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

DON'T MISS

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

DON'T MISS

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

DON'T MISS

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

DON'T MISS

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

UP NEXT

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

UP NEXT

Iran Enacts Law Suspending Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog

UP NEXT

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

UP NEXT

Hamas Says It Is Studying Ceasefire Proposal Labeled ‘Final’ by Trump

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

UP NEXT

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

UP NEXT

Trump Says US Could Reach Trade Deal With India, Casts Doubt on Deal With Japan

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

5 hours ago

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

5 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

6 hours ago

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

6 hours ago

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

6 hours ago

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

7 hours ago

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

7 hours ago

CIA Review Finds Flaws but Does Not Dispute Finding Putin Sought to Sway 2016 Vote to Trump

7 hours ago

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

7 hours ago

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

8 hours ago

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

WASHINGTON – Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday struggled to pass President Donald Trump’s massive tax-cut...

4 hours ago

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the press, as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 2, 2025. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)
4 hours ago

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

The Madre Fire in San Luis Obispo County has rapidly expanded to 8,396 acres with no containment, prompting evacuation orders and warnings near New Cuyama. (CalFire)
5 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

Andrew Biscay, 40, was arrested Friday, June 20, 2025, after deputies found him with a fake U.S. Marshal’s badge, homemade firearm, and law enforcement-style gear during a warrant arrest. (Madera County SO)
5 hours ago

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, a Madera County sheriff’s deputy was injured while trying to arrest a wanted felon, Felix Adrian Nucamendi Carrasco, 40, who later fled and was captured near Raymond Road. (Madera County SO)
5 hours ago

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

A wildfire dubbed the Madre Fire has burned over 3,300 acres near New Cuyama with 0% containment, officials said Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (CalFire)
5 hours ago

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

6 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

Jose Luna (left), 33, and Ralph Grajeda, 45, both of Visalia, have been sentenced for their roles in the 2020 shotgun killing of Robert Soto at a local motel. (Tulare County DA)
6 hours ago

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. (Reuters File)
6 hours ago

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend