WaPo reveals identity of Trump aide monitored by FBI under FISA warrant

The Washington Post reported that former Trump aide Carter Page was the subject of a FISA warrant granted to the FBI who suspected him of acting as a foreign agent.

The report cited anonymous law enforcement and other U.S. official sources saying Page was being investigated as part of a probe into possible ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.

They confirmed that the warrant was granted by a FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] court because there was evidence enough to suspect Page of collusion with Russian authorities.

This is the clearest evidence so far that the FBI had reason to believe during the 2016 presidential campaign that a Trump campaign adviser was in touch with Russian agents. Such contacts are now at the center of an investigation into whether the campaign coordinated with the Russian government to swing the election in Trump’s favor.

Democrats and other Trump detractors have accused the Trump administration of nefarious and possibly criminal ties to Russia, but have yet to produce compelling evidence of the claim.

Similarly, President Trump accused former President Obama of "wiretapping" Trump Towers without any evidence, and the claim has evolved into a more vague accusation of general monitoring that might have been legal but may be inappropriate, as described by House Intelligence Committee Chair Nunes (R-Calif.).

Trump had personally named Page as one of the foreign policy advisors during the presidential campaign, but the administration has since downplayed his role in the campaign.

House Intelligence Committee member Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) predicted that members of the Trump administration would be jailed at the conclusion of their investigation into the alleged Russian collusion. The ranking Democrat on the Intel Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said that they were looking into the possibility that members of the Trump campaign helped spread "fake news" that Russian bots and online "trolls" were spreading on social media.

Carter Page admitted recently that he had indeed met with a Russian intelligence operative, but said he did nothing criminal.