FBI Counterintelligence Is Focus of Trump Campaign Spying Probe

'Crossfire Hurricane' run by FBI headquarters clique against presidential campaign

The ongoing special Justice Department investigation into improper spying on the Trump campaign in 2016 highlights key failings by the FBI's once-storied counterintelligence division.

Two senior counterintelligence officials no longer with the bureau are among likely targets of the investigation by John Durham, U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut. Both were key managers of the high-profile investigations in 2016 into classified information found on Hillary Clinton's private email server, and the now-discredited counterspy operation into links between the Trump presidential campaign and Russian government.

A central figure is Peter Strzok, deputy assistant FBI director for the counterintelligence division, who was fired in August. Another key player was his boss, Bill Priestap, assistant FBI director for counterintelligence, who quietly resigned in December.

In the three years since the controversial investigations, the FBI counterintelligence division has sought to rebuild its reputation by conducting aggressive operations untainted by past allegations of liberal political bias through recent high-profile spy cases. Three former CIA officials and a former State Department official in recent months were convicted of spying for China, and Russian military intelligence operatives, while out of reach of U.S. law enforcement, were indicted for cyber attacks in the 2016 election meddling scheme.

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