In a rare on-camera interview, former FBI general counsel James Baker sought to dispute what he described as “BS” accusations of potential corruption at the origin of the investigation into the Trump campaign’s connections to Russia.
In a rare on-camera interview at the Brookings Institution on Friday, former FBI general counsel James Baker sought to dispute what he described as “BS” accusations of potential corruption at the origin of the investigation into the Trump campaign’s connections to Russia.
In the wake of the Mueller report’s release, Trump and congressional Republicans have doubled down on calls for those who started the probe to be investigated as part of what Trump has baselessly described as a “coup attempt.” He has been the subject of a DOJ leak investigation, and Republicans have also accused him of leaking details regarding the infamous dossier written by British spy Christopher Steele to a reporter from Mother Jones, which both Baker and the reporter have denied.
Allies of President Trump have accused the FBI of basing its investigation of the Trump campaign on the unverified and salacious details in the Steele dossier. But Baker was insistent that the real spark was an encounter between a young Trump campaign adviser, George Papadopoulos, and an Australian diplomat in July of 2016, when Papadopoulos allegedly bragged about having access to incriminating information on Hillary Clinton.
Despite the Mueller report leaving unverified most of the sensational information included in Steele’s dossier, Baker disputed that the FBI initially accepting the information was out of the ordinary. “It’s troubling to say the least, it’s alarming,” Baker said. “Even if it doesn’t rise to the level of illegality, it sure looks like a pattern of corruption.”
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