Stefan Halper, the suspected FBI informant who is believed to have spied on President Donald Trump’s campaign, pitched himself for an ambassadorship in Trump’s administration, according to an explosive new report.
Halper, a University of Cambridge professor, asked Peter Navarro, the White House’s top trade advisor, to submit his name on a list of ambassador candidates for an unidentified Asian country, Axios reported on Monday.
Halper and Navarro are both experts on China.
Halper also visited the White House at least once. Halper attended a meeting about China policy at the Eisenhower Office Building in August, according to Axios.
The report is the first evidence that Halper made contact with the Trump White House. The 73-year-old professor was virtually identified on Friday as a top secret FBI and CIA source who provided information on Trump’s campaign to the Russia probe. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: A London Meeting Aroused George Papadopoulos’s Suspicions)
As The Daily Caller News Foundation first reported in March, Halper was in close contact and met with Trump campaign advisers Carter Page, Sam Clovis and George Papadopoulos.
Halper first met Page in July 2016. The pair stayed in touch through September 2017, Page told TheDCNF.
Halper reached out to Clovis in late-August 2016. The pair met for coffee once and never interacted again.
On Sept. 2, 2016, Halper emailed Papadopoulos with an offer to fly the young Trump aide to London to discuss writing a policy paper about energy issues. Halper paid Papadopoulos $3,000 for the paper and covered his flight and a several-nights stay in London.
Halper asked Papadopoulos during one of their visits whether he knew of any Russian involvement in handling hacked emails, The DCNF first reported. Sources close to Papadopoulos say he grew suspicious of the question.
Papadopoulos has since pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about interactions he had with a Maltese professor who mentioned having learned the Russian government had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton in the form of “thousands” of emails.
The implications of Halper attempting to obtain a Trump administration post are staggering. It opens up the question of whether the FBI instructed Halper to apply for a position in the administration or knew of his attempts to do so.
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