Newly declassified FBI documents, part of the ‘Plasmic Echo’ investigation into Donald Trump’s handling of classified records, reveal an extensive monitoring operation targeting Susie Wiles, Trump’s then-campaign adviser and later chief of staff. The records detail how the FBI tracked Wiles’ phone metadata from February to May 2023, meticulously cataloging her contacts with at least 21 attorneys, campaign officials, Trump Organization personnel, Secret Service agents, and journalists from outlets including CNN, The Washington Post, and Politico. This surveillance mapped her communications across Trump’s legal, political, business, media, and security circles, including specific logs of short calls with identified lawyers and campaign staff, and even contacts with two Secret Service officials. The probe, which began in March 2022 under FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland, and later fell under Special Counsel Jack Smith, also involved gathering travel details for Melania and Barron Trump in preparation for the August 2022 Mar-a-Lago search. Critics, including White House spokesperson Lauren Bis and Heritage Foundation expert Victoria Coates, have decried the monitoring as an ‘unprecedented, dangerous’ abuse of government power and a ‘weaponization of law enforcement’ akin to past surveillance efforts, particularly contrasting its breadth with the Justice Department’s handling of President Biden’s classified documents case.
Adapted from: Latest Political News on Fox News
