Congressional leaders from both the Republican and Democratic parties were briefed Thursday on the FBI's use of an informant in 2016, after the White House received backlash for not initially inviting Democrats to view the confidential information.
The VIPs: White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Trump's Special Counsel Emmet Flood helped "facilitate" the meetings, and visited the Justice Department and Capitol Hill to offer opening remarks, according to a statement from the White House. However, neither were in the room when the classified information was disclosed.
What they're saying:
- Rep. Adam Schiff told reporters that he saw “no evidence to support any allegation that the FBI or any intelligence agency placed a spy in the Trump campaign.”
- Sen. Chuck Schumer, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Mark Warner released a statement along with Rep. Schiff, saying, "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."
- Sen. Mitch McConnell told NPR that he supports both the Inspector General investigation in the Justice Department and the Mueller investigation, and what he learned in the meeting doesn't change that.
Be smart: This whole thing was sparked by speculation from conservative writers. It was then picked up by President Trump, and has grown to become a key focal point in Washington. But as of now, there is still no public evidence to support claims that the FBI planted a source inside the Trump campaign.
Go deeper: An inside look at the suspected FBI informant, Stefan Halper
