The FBI informant who sought information about President Donald J. Trump’s 2016 campaign was looking for a way to join the administration after Trump unexpectedly won.
Reporter Jonathan Swan of Axios revealed on Monday that University of Cambridge Research Professor Stefan Halper was on a list of recommended possible ambassador roles in Asia. Halper was recommended by White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, according to Axios.
According to a White House official, Halper visited the White House complex in August 2017 for a meeting about China.
During the campaign, Halper reportedly met with Trump campaign contacts Carter Page, Sam Clovis, and George Papadopoulos and reported back to the FBI.
Harper and Navarro were both advocates for tougher action with China and knew each other professionally in academic circles. They both appeared on a CSPAN panel on the likelihood of economic and military conflict with China in 2015 to promote Navarro’s new book Crouching Tiger: What China’s Militarism Means for the World.