Trump says he is victim of “Spygate” after FBI reportedly used Cambridge professor as source
Donald Trump accused the FBI of being involved in a scandal he branded "Spygate" following its reported use of a retired Cambridge university professor to glean information about whether his presidential campaign colluded with Russia.
Mr Trump, writing on Twitter, escalated his recent attacks on the agency, referring to what he called the "Criminal Deep State".
It came after Stefan Halper, a retired professor and Life Fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge, was named in US media reports as an FBI source who approached three Trump campaign advisers in the summer of 2016.
The professor has made no comment on the reports. The FBI declined to comment.
Mr Trump, who did not name the professor himself, wrote: "SPYGATE could be one of the biggest political scandals in history!"
He added: "If the person placed very early into my campaign wasn’t a SPY put there by the previous Administration for political purposes, how come such a seemingly massive amount of money was paid for services rendered - many times higher than normal..
"Look how things have turned around on the Criminal Deep State. They go after Phony Collusion with Russia, a made up Scam, and end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before! What goes around, comes around!"
Mr Trump also suggested that agencies other than FBI may have "spied" on his campaign.
He quoted a Fox News legal analyst saying: "It’s clear that they had eyes and ears all over the Trump Campaign."
James Comey, who was FBI Director at the time of the alleged events, and later fired by Mr Trump, hit back.
On twitter he wrote: "Facts matter. The FBI’s use of Confidential Human Sources (the actual term) is tightly regulated and essential to protecting the country.
"Attacks on the FBI and lying about its work will do lasting damage to our country. How will Republicans explain this to their grandchildren?
Democrats accused Mr Trump of using the episode in an attempt to undermine and distract from the inquiry being led by special counsel Robert Mueller into whether there was collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia.
