Trump: ‘Illegal’ and ‘disgrace’ if spies were on my campaign

President Trump said Tuesday it would be “illegal” and a “disgrace” if the FBI had spies embedded in his campaign.

“A lot of people are saying they had spies in my campaign. If they had spies in my campaign, that would be a disgrace to this country,” he said. “It would be very illegal, aside from everything else.”

“I hope they weren’t,” Trump added, because “that would be unprecedented in the history of our country.”

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The comments come as Trump is escalating his attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump has repeated conservative claims that federal law enforcement spied on his campaign, perhaps at the direction of senior leaders in the Obama administration, in an effort to sink his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election.

Media reports have said FBI agents used an informant to speak with a trio of Trump campaign advisers after the bureau heard they had suspicious contacts with Russia. There is no evidence a spy or mole was embedded in the Trump campaign.

Critics say Trump is using the allegations to muddy the waters in the Russia probe, which is looking into whether his campaign colluded with Moscow’s efforts to interfere in the election and if the president obstructed the probe.

Trump took his criticisms a step further over the weekend when he demanded the Justice Department open an investigation into whether the FBI used improper surveillance to infiltrate his campaign.

The department asked its internal watchdog to examine the claims, a move that satisfied Trump and defused — for now — a burgeoning crisis with the top law enforcement agency.

In a concession to Trump and his allies, the FBI and Justice Department will meet with lawmakers to review highly classified information related to the Russia investigation. The meeting will be overseen by White House chief of staff John Kelly.

Trump backers, such as House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), have demanded documents related to the earliest days of the Russia probe. It is not clear exactly what information lawmakers will be allowed to see.