James Comey instructed the FBI to infiltrate 2016 Trump campaign with 'honeypots': whistleblower

A protected whistleblower disclosure sent to the House Judiciary Committee has revealed that the FBI began targeting Donald Trump in June of 2015, shortly after he announced his presidential run, in an off-the-books investigation ordered by then-FBI Director James Comey. 

The disclosure, reviewed by the Washington Times, stated that two undercover FBI agents were directed to act as "honeypots" and infiltrated the high levels of Trump’s 2016 campaign. The undercover agents traveled with Trump and his campaign staff.

The agent "personally knew" that Comey had ordered the investigation against Trump and that Comey had "personally directed it." The operation did not appear to target a specific crime, the Times reported, but rather was what agents described as a fishing expedition to find incriminating evidence on Trump.

The disclosure stated that the investigation "had no predicated foundation, so Mr. Comey personally directed the investigation without creating an official case file in Sentinel or any other FBI system."

Involved in helping Comey execute the probe were Deputy Director Dave Bowdich and assistant director in charge of the Washington field office Paul Abbate, the disclosure said.

Targeted by the "honeypot" undercover agents was Trump campaign advisor George Papadopoulos, the whistleblower said. Papadopoulis pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI in October 2017 and was pardoned by Trump in 2020.

The whistleblower said that the secret investigation was closed after a newspaper obtained a photo of one of the agents and was ready to publish it. The FBI’s press office told the paper that the photo was of an informant, not an agent, and that the informant would be killed if the photo was published, the whistleblower said. 

The employee also said that one of the agents agreed to be transferred to the CIA so she could not be a witness, and another employee was given a promotion. "The FBI employee personally observed one or more employees in the FBI being directed to never discuss the operation with anyone ever again, which includes talking with other people involved in the operation," the disclosure stated.

A House Judiciary Committee spokesman said the committee "plans to took into" the allegations they received from the whistleblower. Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker told the outlet that if the report is true, it is a "booming, egregious violation" of rules for the attorney general and FBI.

"It’s an unpredicated infiltration of a presidential campaign which is sensitive,” he told The Times. “It’s sensitive to the point where it would have to have been approved by the [attorney general] and … would have to be predicated. And in this case, I’m not hearing any predication. It would have to be on the books anyway, regardless."