A newly unveiled investigation claims that the US Intelligence Community collaborated with international counterparts to monitor 26 associates of Donald Trump ahead of the 2016 presidential election – even before there were fabricated claims of collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia.

The report says the surveillance was spearheaded by then-CIA Director John Brennan, who coordinated with the “Five Eyes” intelligence alliance—comprising agencies from the US, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

The report draws on information from several anonymous sources, including individuals close to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, now chaired by Rep. Mike Turner. According to one source, the identified Trump associates were considered targets for “bumping,” a term used in espionage to describe the deliberate initiation of contact for the purpose of manipulation or intelligence gathering. “They were targets of our own IC and law enforcement — targets for collection and misinformation,” the source claimed.

The report also alleges that Britain’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) engaged with Trump’s associates as early as March 2016, extending operations across the UK, Australia, Italy, and involving collaboration with Israel’s Mossad and Britain’s MI6. A GCHQ spokesperson has since labeled allegations of wiretapping against the then-president-elect as “nonsense.”

It also claims that a “10-inch binder” ordered declassified by Trump at the end of his term contains intelligence that could potentially prove unlawful actions by US intelligence officials in regards to spying and election interference, although the current location of this binder is a mystery.

The report highlights the legal prohibitions against warrantless surveillance of US persons, drawing attention to a past incident where former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith received probation for falsifying an email to renew a wiretap against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)