FANNING THE FLAMES

Report: White House Orders FBI Informant Files Be Opened to More Lawmakers

It was not immediately clear if Trump himself authorized the move, which goes against warnings from top law enforcement officials.

The White House has ordered that more lawmakers be provided access to classified documents about an FBI informant involved in investigating President Trump’s ties to Russia, The New York Times reports. The move, seen by some officials as a bid to bolster claims by the president’s Republican allies that the ongoing Russia investigation is tainted by an anti-Trump bias, went against warnings from both the director of national intelligence and the director of the FBI, who expressed concerns that such broad access could lead to leaks. The files will now be available not only to the small group of congressional leaders known as the Gang of Eight, but also to all members of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, according to officials cited by the Times. It was not immediately clear whether Trump himself authorized the move.