Chuck Ross | Investigative Reporter
The Justice Department plans to interview two senior CIA officers as part of a sweeping review of surveillance activities against the Trump campaign, The New York Times reported.
Sources briefed on the plans told The Times that U.S. Attorney John Durham, who is leading the DOJ review, wants to speak with a senior CIA counterintelligence official and a senior CIA analyst who handled intelligence about Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
Attorney General William Barr is interested in finding out more about the sources the CIA relied on to assess Russias goals in interfering in the election, according to The Times. He also wants to know about intelligence the CIA provided the FBI in summer 2016, including about Americans associated with the Trump campaign. (RELATED: DOJ Review Of Russia Probe Is Broad In Scope And Multifaceted)
One of the officials sought for an interview worked at a CIA counterintelligence mission center that worked closely with the FBI.
CIA Director Gina Haspel does not plan to block the interviews, according to The Times.
Barr, who picked Durham to lead the probe, has said he is concerned by information he has seen that U.S. agencies may have improperly surveilled members of the Trump campaign.
Central Intelligence Agency Deputy Director Gina Haspel is sworn in before the Senate Intelligence Committee during her confirmation hearing to become the next CIA director in the Hart Senate Office Building May 9, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The Justice Departments Office of the Inspector General is already investigating the FBIs use of the unverified Steele dossier in applications for surveillance warrants against Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The FBI also relied on at least one longtime informant, Stefan Halper, to make contact with Trump aides, including Page and George Papadopoulos.
Halpers first contact with Page was on July 10, 2016, which was three weeks before the FBI claims it opRead More – Source
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