Clapper: 'Good Thing' If FBI Spied on Trump Campaign

James Clapper, former director of National Intelligence, said it was a "good thing" if former President Barack Obama's administration spied on President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Real Clear Politics reported Friday.

"They [the Obama admin's FBI] may have had someone who was talking to them in the campaign, but, you know, the focus here... is not on the campaign, per se, but what the Russians were doing to try to instantiate themselves in the campaign or influence or leverage it," Clapper told CNN.

But if an intelligence agent was "observing" Trump campaign officials' interactions with Russia, "that's a good thing because the Russians posed a threat to the very basis of our political system."

However, exposing the identity of the unnamed spy would be "hugely dangerous," Clapper maintained, because of "the danger to that person, not to mention, the reluctance of others to be informants for the FBI, and the FBI gains a lot of valuable information from informants, so to me, this is incredible."

President Trump weighed in on the revelations his campaign was spied on, tweeting it was a "hot Fake News story" which, if true, could become the "all time biggest political scandal."

"Reports are there was indeed at least one FBI representative implanted, for political purposes, into my campaign for president. It took place very early on, and long before the phony Russia Hoax became a “hot” Fake News story. If true - all time biggest political scandal!" Trump tweeted.

"Apparently the DOJ put a Spy in the Trump Campaign. This has never been done before and by any means necessary, they are out to frame Donald Trump for crimes he didn’t commit.” David Asman @LouDobbs @GreggJarrett Really bad stuff!" Trump wrote.

"Wow, word seems to be coming out that the Obama FBI “SPIED ON THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN WITH AN EMBEDDED INFORMANT.” Andrew McCarthy says, “There’s probably no doubt that they had at least one confidential informant in the campaign.” If so, this is bigger than Watergate!" the president continued.

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