A whistleblower has come forward, alleging that former FBI Director James Comey initiated an off-the-books investigation targeting Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
According to protected disclosures reviewed by the House Judiciary Committee, the probe reportedly started just days after Trump announced his candidacy in June 2015, and involved undercover FBI agents directed by Comey himself.
The whistleblower’s report, first shared with the Washington Times, claims that two undercover female FBI agents were embedded within Trump’s campaign and were instructed to act as “honeypots.” This infiltration was intended to gain inside information on Trump and his campaign staff without a specified legal basis or established crime. Unlike the later, more publicized Crossfire Hurricane counterintelligence probe, this earlier investigation was reportedly a fishing expedition led by Comey without official case files or DOJ oversight.
“This kind of unpredicated infiltration of a presidential campaign is highly sensitive and would require authorization,” former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker commented on the report. “Such an action without a case file or predicated crime would constitute an egregious violation.”
Unprecedented Tactics Employed by FBI Agents in 2016 Campaign
The whistleblower’s disclosure revealed that the operation involved two FBI agents embedded within high levels of Trump’s campaign, where they acted as “honeypots”—agents who engage closely with their targets to extract information. These agents traveled alongside Trump’s campaign team, gathering details under Comey’s direction. This investigation reportedly aimed to uncover any incriminating information on Trump or his associates, but it was never officially recorded in the FBI’s Sentinel system or other federal tracking systems.
One specific target of this off-the-record operation was Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, a name familiar to those following the investigations of Trump’s associates. Papadopoulos was later charged with making false statements to the FBI in 2017. However, the whistleblower disclosed that the FBI concealed Papadopoulos’ repeated denials of involvement in Russian interference from court documents and failed to inform his legal counsel of this hidden probe.
Probe Confirms Concerns About Institutional Bias
The whistleblower’s statements further suggest a pattern of bias within the FBI, with Comey allegedly directing agents to avoid documenting the investigation. This approach ensured the probe avoided scrutiny from Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
Horowitz conducted an internal review of FBI actions against the Trump campaign. Former Assistant Director Swecker expressed alarm at the alleged irregularities, calling it “a booming, egregious violation” of DOJ and FBI protocols. He suggested Comey lacked the legal grounding to pursue an unrecorded, off-the-books investigation of a presidential candidate.
Judiciary Committee to Investigate Allegations
The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Representative Jim Jordan, received the whistleblower’s report and has confirmed plans to look into the explosive allegations. A spokesperson for the committee stated they “plan to investigate” the claims, which suggest potential abuse of FBI authority at the highest level.
The investigation was eventually shut down, according to the disclosure, after a photograph of one of the undercover agents surfaced, threatening to reveal the operation. FBI officials reportedly misled a newspaper planning to publish the photo, describing the subject as an “informant” rather than an agent, citing concerns for the person’s safety.
FBI Agents Rewarded and Reassigned
The disclosure also alleged that one of the undercover agents was transferred to the CIA to prevent her from testifying about the operation, while another employee involved received a promotion. The whistleblower reportedly witnessed directives instructing FBI staff never to discuss the operation with anyone else.
Critics argue that if true, these revelations underscore a concerning breach of oversight within federal agencies. Comey reportedly sidestepped standard procedures and prevented public scrutiny of actions taken against a sitting presidential candidate.
Questions about FBI conduct and internal bias are bound to intensify, fueling debates on accountability within America’s highest law enforcement agency.!