The investigation into Trump and Russia ties is accelerating. The FBI just carefully leaked they had a FISA warrant on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page starting last summer. High level (and murky) Russian interests as well as some in the Trump campaign say Page is an “idiot.” However, given this strategic leak, anyone linked with Page, which includes plenty of Trump associates, are probably getting quite nervous. Which may be why news of the FISA warrant was leaked. It signals to the others they might want to cut a deal while they still can. Especially when they might not know what the idiot will do. Whoever sings first probably gets the best deal.
My initial reading of tonight’s Washington Post report, which confirms that the FBI has had a FISA surveillance warrant on Carter Page since last summer, was that the FBI has leaked this information for strategic reasons. After all, the leak is credited to “law enforcement and other U.S. officials” which means it didn’t so much leak, as the FBI decided to officially announce it and just couldn’t put its own name on it.
This isn’t the kind of thing that a low-level intel community employee would dare leak to the media unilaterally. This would have come from the top, and with great thought behind it. So why is the FBI doing this right now? For one thing, it’s publicly signaling to Carter Page that it has ten months of dirt on him; it knows everything he’s said and done during that time. The FBI is also signaling to others in the Trump campaign that it knows about everything they were conspiring with Page on.
Meanwhile, Trump Co. comically pretends they barely know who Page is.