A FISA warrant was obtained, and Paul Manafort was wiretapped, as he was continuing to talk to Trump after the President took office.
The FBI interest deepened last fall because of intercepted communications between Manafort and suspected Russian operatives, and among the Russians themselves, that reignited their interest in Manafort, the sources told CNN. As part of the FISA warrant, CNN has learned that earlier this year, the FBI conducted a search of a storage facility belonging to Manafort. It’s not known what they found.
The conversations between Manafort and Trump continued after the President took office, long after the FBI investigation into Manafort was publicly known, the sources told CNN. They went on until lawyers for the President and Manafort insisted that they stop, according to the sources.
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It’s unclear whether Trump himself was picked up on the surveillance.
Trump has long maintained that Manafort was nothing more than a short-term campaign employee, but if this is the case, why were Trump and Manafort talking after Trump took office? There are many different avenues that Russia collusion might have pursued. Paul Manafort and Mike Flynn are drawing the most heat followed by Jared Kushner and Donald Trump Jr. If Trump and Manafort were caught on surveillance discussing collusion with Russia or any other election-related crime, it would bring down this president.
The President has consistently lied about the players in the Russia scandal, contacts with Russians, and his own business in Russia. It would be hard to believe that anyone could be so dumb as to talk about potential crimes with a collaborator on the phone, especially the President Of The United States, but Trump has been his own worst enemy during the Russia scandal.
If incriminating tapes exist, it will be smoking gun that ends Trump’s presidency.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
