Spygate (conspiracy theory): Difference between revisions
converting disambig page into an actual article on the Trump conspiracy Tag: External link added to disambiguation page |
|||
| (40 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{For2|the controversy involving the New England Patriots football team|[[Spygate (NFL)]]}} |
|||
{{For2|the disclosure of confidential technical information between Formula One race car manufacturers|[[2007 Formula One espionage controversy]]}} |
|||
'''Spygate''' is a [[conspiracy theory]] developed and popularized by the United States president [[Donald Trump |
'''Spygate''' is a [[conspiracy theory]] developed and popularized by the United States president [[Donald Trump]]. The theory appears to have no basis in fact.<ref name=NYT1>{{cite web|title=With ‘Spygate,’ Trump Shows How He Uses Conspiracy Theories to Erode Trust|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/28/us/politics/trump-conspiracy-theories-spygate.html|last1=Davis|first1=Julie|last2=Haberman|first2=Maggie|work=[[The New York Times]]|accessdate=29 May 2018}}</ref> |
||
==Background== |
|||
On May 17, 2018, Trump quoted ''[[National Review]]'' columnist [[Andrew C. McCarthy]], who had said: "There's probably no doubt that [the FBI] had at least one confidential informant in the [Trump] campaign". From that quote, Trump described that "word seems to be coming out that the Obama FBI SPIED ON THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN ... If so, this is bigger than [[Watergate]]!"<ref>{{cite web |last1=Manchester |first1=Julia |title=Trump: Report that Obama FBI spied on campaign could be 'bigger than Watergate' |url=http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/388101-trump-report-that-obama-fbi-spied-on-campaign-could-be-bigger-than |publisher=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |accessdate=2 June 2018}}</ref> |
|||
Although an FBI informant, [[Stefan Halper]], spoke separately to three Trump campaign advisers ([[Carter Page]], [[Sam Clovis]] and [[George Papadopoulos]]) in 2016, there is no evidence that Halper was actually part of Trump’s campaign.<ref>{{cite web|title=Secret FBI source for Russia investigation met with three Trump advisers during campaign|first1=Robert|last1=Costa|first2=Carol|last2=Leonnig|first3=Tom|last3=Hamburger|first4=Devlin|last4=Barrett|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-fbi-source-for-russia-investigation-met-with-three-trump-advisers-during-campaign/2018/05/18/9778d9f0-5aea-11e8-b656-a5f8c2a9295d_story.html?utm_term=.818bc6887f6f|work=[[The Washington Post]]|accessdate=29 May 2018}}</ref> The [[Associated Press]] reported that Trump privately said that he wanted "to brand" the informant as a "spy" as using a more nefarious term would supposedly resonate more with the public.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jalonick |first1=Mary |last2=Lemire |first2=Jonathan |title=Seething over Russia probe, Trump tears into ‘spygate’ |url=https://apnews.com/23b9456c12484b6cb31c93da269a6159/Seething-over-Russia-probe,-Trump-tears-into-%27spygate |publisher=[[Associated Press]] |accessdate=2 June 2018}}</ref> |
|||
== Trump's allegations == |
|||
On May 22, 2018, Trump expanded on McCarthy's theory, alleging that the [[Barack Obama]] administration had paid to plant a spy inside the 2016 Trump presidential campaign "very early on" to assist Trump's rival, [[Hilary Clinton]], win the [[United States presidential election, 2016|2016 US presidential campaign]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Beauchamp |first1=Zack |title=“Spygate,” the false allegation that the FBI had a spy in the Trump campaign, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/2018/5/25/17380212/spygate-trump-russia-spy-stefan-halper-fbi-explained |work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |accessdate=2 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Tatum |first1=Sophie |title=Carter Page: I 'never found anything unusual' in conversations with FBI source |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/22/politics/carter-page-fbi-informant-cnn-tv/index.html |publisher=[[CNN]] |accessdate=2 June 2018}}</ref> From May 23, 2018, Trump began to describe his allegations as Spygate.<ref name=NYT1/><ref>{{cite web |last1=DeCosta-Klipa |first1=Nik |title=This Donald Trump tweet might have caused some confusion for Patriots fans |url=https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2018/05/23/donald-trump-spygate |website=[[Boston.com]] |accessdate=1 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Bump |first1=Philip |title=There is no evidence for ‘Spygate’ — but there is a reason Trump invented it |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/05/23/there-is-no-evidence-for-spygate-but-there-is-a-reason-that-trump-invented-it/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.3682f63e12ab |work=[[The Washington Post]] |accessdate=1 June 2018}}</ref> |
|||
Despite claiming that Spygate "could be one of the biggest political scandals in history",<ref>{{cite web |title=Trump: 'SPYGATE' a scandal 'the likes of which this country may never have seen before' |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/23/trump-spygate-a-scandal-the-likes-of-which-this-country-may-never-have-seen-before.html |publisher=[[CNBC]] |accessdate=2 June 2018}}</ref> Trump has not offered any evidence when asked for it, instead saying, "All you have to do is look at the basics and you'll see it."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fishel |first1=Justin |last2=Karson |first2=Kendall |last3=Khan |first3=Mariam |title=Trump claims 'you'll see it' when asked for proof of alleged 'spying' scandal |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-trump-claims-criminal-deep-state-pursuit-backfired/story?id=55376084 |publisher=[[ABC News]] |accessdate=2 June 2018}}</ref> |
|||
Trump also published a false quote attributed to [[James Clapper]] that "Trump should be happy that the FBI was SPYING on his campaign". Instead, when asked "was the FBI spying on Trump’s campaign", Clapper had said, "No, they were not." What Clapper really said Trump should have been happy about was that the FBI was investigating “what the Russians were doing” and "were the Russians infiltrating" his campaign and trying to influence the election.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kiely |first1=Eugene |title=Trump Misquotes Clapper on FBI ‘Spy’ |url=https://www.factcheck.org/2018/05/trump-misquotes-clapper-on-fbi-spy/ |website=[[FactCheck.org]] |accessdate=2 June 2018}}</ref> |
|||
Trump has said that Halper, the FBI informant, was paid a "massive amount of money", and concluded that he thus must be a spy implanted for "political purposes". However, the $1 million in contracts were signed between Halper and the Defense Department’s Office of Net Assessment between 2012 to 2016, with 40% of the money awarded before Trump announced his candidacy in 2015. It is unknown if the FBI paid Halper at all.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Greenberg |first1=Jon |title=Online story gets details wrong about informant payment in Trump Russia probe |url=http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2018/may/24/blog-posting/fake-news-says-obama-paid-informant-trump-russia-p/ |publisher=[[Politifact]] |accessdate=2 June 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Correll |first1=Diana |title=Trump questions why FBI informant received payments from government |url=https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-questions-why-fbi-informant-received-payments-from-government |work=[[Washington Examiner]] |accessdate=2 June 2018}}</ref> |
|||
==Reactions and criticism== |
|||
[[Trey Gowdy]], the Republican chairman of the [[United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform]], said after a classified meeting with Department of Justice officials that "the FBI is doing what [Trump] told them to do ... I am even more convinced that the FBI did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do when they got the information they got, and that it has nothing to do with Donald Trump".<ref>{{cite web |last1=MacCallum |first1=Martha |title=Gowdy on Trump's Spy Claims: I'm 'Convinced' FBI Did What Americans Would Want Them to Do |url=http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/05/29/donald-trump-russia-probe-gowdy-says-he-should-be-upset-democrats-obama-not-fbi |publisher=[[Fox News]] |accessdate=1 June 2018}}</ref> Republican senator [[Jeff Flake]] has said that the "so-called Spygate" is a "diversion tactic, obviously", while Democratic Represenative [[Adam Schiff]] has said that Spygate is a "piece of propaganda the president wants to put out and repeat".<ref>{{cite web |title=Trump's 'Spygate' is a 'diversion tactic': Senator Flake |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-flake/trumps-spygate-is-a-diversion-tactic-senator-flake-idUSKCN1IS0OQ?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=twitter |publisher=[[Reuters]] |accessdate=1 June 2018}}</ref> |
|||
Asked on whether the promotion of the Spygate theory is meant to discredit the [[Special Counsel investigation (2017–present)|special counsel investigation]], Trump’s attorney [[Rudy Giuliani]] said that the investigators "are giving us the material to do it. Of course, we have to do it in defending the president ... it is for public opinion" on whether to "impeach or not impeach" Trump.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://fortune.com/2018/05/28/rudy-giuliani-spygate-mueller-investigation/|title='It Is for Public Opinion.' Rudy Giuliani May Have Admitted That Trump's 'Spygate' Is a PR Ploy|last=Bach|first=Natasha|date=May 28, 2018|work=Fortune|access-date=May 28, 2018}}</ref> |
|||
Journalist [[Shepard Smith]] has said that of Spygate that "[[Fox News]] can confirm that it is not" true; "Fox News knows of no evidence to support the president's claim. Lawmakers from both parties say using an informant to investigate is not spying. It’s part of the normal investigative process."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bort |first1=Ryan |title=Even Conservatives Are Realizing Trump's 'Spygate' Conspiracy Is a Hoax |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/why-trump-spygate-conspiracy-w520889 |work=[[Rolling Stone]] |accessdate=1 June 2018}}</ref> Legal analyst [[Andrew Napolitano]] concurred in telling Fox News that the FBI's usage of an informant was being done "all the time" and thus "stunningly unremarkable".<ref>{{cite web |title=Judge Nap: Giuliani Shouldn't Make 'Outlandish & Outrageous' Spy Allegations Without Evidence |url=http://insider.foxnews.com/2018/05/30/napolitano-giuliani-shouldnt-make-outlandish-outrageous-spy-allegations-without-evidence |publisher=[[Fox News]] |accessdate=1 June 2018}}</ref> |
|||
[[Jon Meacham]], a presidential historian, wrote that Spygate may have been developed to distract the American voting public from "legitimate investigations or other things [Trump] dislikes is corrosive".<ref name=NYT1/> |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Conspiracy theories in the United States]] |
||
[[Category:Political career of Donald Trump]] |
|||
Revision as of 03:48, 2 June 2018
Spygate is a conspiracy theory developed and popularized by the United States president Donald Trump. The theory appears to have no basis in fact.[1]
Background
On May 17, 2018, Trump quoted National Review columnist Andrew C. McCarthy, who had said: "There's probably no doubt that [the FBI] had at least one confidential informant in the [Trump] campaign". From that quote, Trump described that "word seems to be coming out that the Obama FBI SPIED ON THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN ... If so, this is bigger than Watergate!"[2]
Although an FBI informant, Stefan Halper, spoke separately to three Trump campaign advisers (Carter Page, Sam Clovis and George Papadopoulos) in 2016, there is no evidence that Halper was actually part of Trump’s campaign.[3] The Associated Press reported that Trump privately said that he wanted "to brand" the informant as a "spy" as using a more nefarious term would supposedly resonate more with the public.[4]
Trump's allegations
On May 22, 2018, Trump expanded on McCarthy's theory, alleging that the Barack Obama administration had paid to plant a spy inside the 2016 Trump presidential campaign "very early on" to assist Trump's rival, Hilary Clinton, win the 2016 US presidential campaign.[5][6] From May 23, 2018, Trump began to describe his allegations as Spygate.[1][7][8]
Despite claiming that Spygate "could be one of the biggest political scandals in history",[9] Trump has not offered any evidence when asked for it, instead saying, "All you have to do is look at the basics and you'll see it."[10]
Trump also published a false quote attributed to James Clapper that "Trump should be happy that the FBI was SPYING on his campaign". Instead, when asked "was the FBI spying on Trump’s campaign", Clapper had said, "No, they were not." What Clapper really said Trump should have been happy about was that the FBI was investigating “what the Russians were doing” and "were the Russians infiltrating" his campaign and trying to influence the election.[11]
Trump has said that Halper, the FBI informant, was paid a "massive amount of money", and concluded that he thus must be a spy implanted for "political purposes". However, the $1 million in contracts were signed between Halper and the Defense Department’s Office of Net Assessment between 2012 to 2016, with 40% of the money awarded before Trump announced his candidacy in 2015. It is unknown if the FBI paid Halper at all.[12][13]
Reactions and criticism
Trey Gowdy, the Republican chairman of the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said after a classified meeting with Department of Justice officials that "the FBI is doing what [Trump] told them to do ... I am even more convinced that the FBI did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do when they got the information they got, and that it has nothing to do with Donald Trump".[14] Republican senator Jeff Flake has said that the "so-called Spygate" is a "diversion tactic, obviously", while Democratic Represenative Adam Schiff has said that Spygate is a "piece of propaganda the president wants to put out and repeat".[15]
Asked on whether the promotion of the Spygate theory is meant to discredit the special counsel investigation, Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani said that the investigators "are giving us the material to do it. Of course, we have to do it in defending the president ... it is for public opinion" on whether to "impeach or not impeach" Trump.[16]
Journalist Shepard Smith has said that of Spygate that "Fox News can confirm that it is not" true; "Fox News knows of no evidence to support the president's claim. Lawmakers from both parties say using an informant to investigate is not spying. It’s part of the normal investigative process."[17] Legal analyst Andrew Napolitano concurred in telling Fox News that the FBI's usage of an informant was being done "all the time" and thus "stunningly unremarkable".[18]
Jon Meacham, a presidential historian, wrote that Spygate may have been developed to distract the American voting public from "legitimate investigations or other things [Trump] dislikes is corrosive".[1]
References
- ^ a b c Davis, Julie; Haberman, Maggie. "With 'Spygate,' Trump Shows How He Uses Conspiracy Theories to Erode Trust". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ Manchester, Julia. "Trump: Report that Obama FBI spied on campaign could be 'bigger than Watergate'". The Hill. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ Costa, Robert; Leonnig, Carol; Hamburger, Tom; Barrett, Devlin. "Secret FBI source for Russia investigation met with three Trump advisers during campaign". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ Jalonick, Mary; Lemire, Jonathan. "Seething over Russia probe, Trump tears into 'spygate'". Associated Press. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ Beauchamp, Zack. ""Spygate," the false allegation that the FBI had a spy in the Trump campaign, explained". Vox. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ Tatum, Sophie. "Carter Page: I 'never found anything unusual' in conversations with FBI source". CNN. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ DeCosta-Klipa, Nik. "This Donald Trump tweet might have caused some confusion for Patriots fans". Boston.com. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ Bump, Philip. "There is no evidence for 'Spygate' — but there is a reason Trump invented it". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ "Trump: 'SPYGATE' a scandal 'the likes of which this country may never have seen before'". CNBC. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ Fishel, Justin; Karson, Kendall; Khan, Mariam. "Trump claims 'you'll see it' when asked for proof of alleged 'spying' scandal". ABC News. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ Kiely, Eugene. "Trump Misquotes Clapper on FBI 'Spy'". FactCheck.org. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ Greenberg, Jon. "Online story gets details wrong about informant payment in Trump Russia probe". Politifact. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ Correll, Diana. "Trump questions why FBI informant received payments from government". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
- ^ MacCallum, Martha. "Gowdy on Trump's Spy Claims: I'm 'Convinced' FBI Did What Americans Would Want Them to Do". Fox News. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ "Trump's 'Spygate' is a 'diversion tactic': Senator Flake". Reuters. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ Bach, Natasha (May 28, 2018). "'It Is for Public Opinion.' Rudy Giuliani May Have Admitted That Trump's 'Spygate' Is a PR Ploy". Fortune. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
- ^ Bort, Ryan. "Even Conservatives Are Realizing Trump's 'Spygate' Conspiracy Is a Hoax". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
- ^ "Judge Nap: Giuliani Shouldn't Make 'Outlandish & Outrageous' Spy Allegations Without Evidence". Fox News. Retrieved 1 June 2018.