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Probe into Russia collusion expands look into FBI

Donald Trump swears his heart belongs to America, but FBI investigators aren't so sure.

Donald Trump swears his heart belongs to America, but FBI investigators aren't so sure. Photo: Getty

The US Justice Department has agreed to expand its investigation into alleged Russia collusion in the 2016 election to include “any irregularities” in FBI tactics involving Trump’s presidential campaign.

The agreement came during a meeting that Mr Trump had with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

The Justice Department “has asked the inspector general to expand its current investigation to include any irregularities with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s or the Department of Justice’s tactics concerning the Trump Campaign,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

Federal investigators are probing whether anyone in the Trump campaign worked with Russia to sway the election to the Republican candidate.

Mr Trump has denied any collusion and repeatedly dismissed the investigation as a “witch hunt”.

The President said in a Twitter post on Sunday that he would demand the Justice Department look into whether the FBI “infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes – and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!”

Hours later, a spokeswoman said the department asked its inspector general to expand a review of the process for requesting surveillance warrants to include determining whether there was impropriety or political motivation in how the FBI conducted its investigation.

The FBI was looking into Trump election campaign ties to Moscow before Special Counsel Robert Mueller took over the probe a year ago.

Mr Trump has shown increasing signs of impatience with the investigation led by Mueller as it enters its second year, saying it was politically motivated and had its roots in the administration of Democratic President Barack Obama.

His Republican allies in Congress, led by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, have pushed the same message.

Neither Mr Trump nor his new lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, provided any evidence of government infiltration into Trump’s presidential campaign.

The New York Times had reported the FBI sent an informant to talk to two Trump campaign advisers after the agency received evidence that the two men had suspicious contacts linked to Russia during the campaign.

-AAP

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