The federal government wiretapped President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort before and after the 2016 election, CNN reports. Investigators obtained a secret court order under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to surveil Manafort in 2016 as part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s look into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
The warrant extended into 2017, including periods when Manafort was known to have conversations with Trump, though its unclear whether the president himself was picked up on the surveillance. Lawyers for both men eventually insisted they stop communicating, according to CNN. It’s also unknown exactly when the warrant started, but sources familiar with the investigation told CNN that the FBI was not yet listening when Manafort, along with Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner, met with a Russian lawyer who promised to provide damning information about Hillary Clinton.
The surveillance so far includes intelligence that “sparked concerns among investigators that Manafort had encouraged the Russians to help with the campaign,” CNN reports. Investigators also searched a storage facility belonging to Manafort earlier this year as part of the warrant, and FBI agents raided his home in July, but sources cautioned CNN that so far the evidence against Manafort is not conclusive.
