The FBI listened to at least one phone call of former Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, according to a recently released text message of Peter Strzok, former head of FBI counterintelligence operations.
The text raises the question of what authority the FBI had to conduct such surveillance, particularly because, based on the text, the call with the Fox News executive took place on Jan. 11, 2017, two weeks before Papadopoulos's voluntary FBI interview during which he later admitted he lied.
The FBI team running the Russia probe, code-named "Crossfire Hurricane," apparently intended to get a FISA warrant on Papadopoulos as well.
Crossfire Typhoon was the code name the FBI gave Papadopoulos.
Papadopoulos believes the FBI did obtain a FISA warrant to spy on him, not through the Russia probe, but via his business engagements with Israel.
The final report by former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who took over the Russia probe in May 2017 as a special counsel, mentioned that the FBI probed whether Papadopoulos acted as an unregistered agent of Israel.
It appears the only time Papadopoulos gave the FBI some indication that he may have violated FARA by acting as an unregistered Israeli agent came in his talk with FBI informant Stefan Halper in September 2016.
Monday, December 21, 2020
FBI Listened to Papadopoulos's Call on Elusive Grounds, Documents Indicate
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