FBI, Justice Department Leaders Meet Over Trump Informant Allegations

Two highly classified briefings with the FBI and Justice Department took place Thursday about an FBI informant who contacted the Trump campaign.

The pair of high-level briefings for lawmakers is an effort to ease Republican pressure over the Russia investigation, after President Trump said that a confidential informant made contact with several of his top advisors during the 2016 presidential campaign.

By the time both sessions ended Thursday evening, each side had their time before reporters’ microphones.

"Nothing we heard today has changed our view that there is no evidence to support any allegation that the FBI or any intelligence agency placed a spy in the Trump campaign or otherwise failed to follow appropriate procedures and protocols," Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said after the meeting.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., defended the House Intelligence Committee's requests for records from the DOJ about the Russia investigation, following several weeks of a contentious back-and-forth between House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and DOJ officials.

"Inherent in the committee's work is the responsibility to ask tough questions of the executive branch," Ryan said. "That is why we have insisted and will continue to insist on Congress's constitutional right to information necessary for the conduct of oversight."

Before the meetings began, Trump drew more attention to reports alleging that the FBI infiltrated his presidential campaign.

"Starting to look like one of the biggest political scandals in U.S. history," Trump tweeted Thursday. "SPYGATE - a terrible thing!"

Did President Obama Know?

Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said Thursday he believes it's highly unlikely that President Obama did not know an FBI informant was in the Trump campaign.

"We need to know why did it begin, who authorized it and what role did Barack Obama have. Did he know the FBI had informants there? I'll guarantee you the answer is ‘yes’. No FBI would put informants in another presidential campaign without permission from the White House, including the president," he said on "Outnumbered."

He said the FBI counterintelligence probe "spiraled out of control" after the Obama administration chose not to warn Trump about possible infiltration by Russia.