Russia tried to use Trump advisors to infiltrate campaign, sources say

The FBI gathered intelligence last summer that suggests Russian operatives tried to use Trump advisors, including Carter Page, to infiltrate the Trump campaign, according to the U.S. officials.

The officials made clear they don't know whether Page was aware the Russians may have been using him. Because of the way Russian spy services operate, Page could have unknowingly talked with Russian agents, the CNN reports.

Page disputes the idea he has ever collected intelligence for the Russians, saying he helped the US intelligence community.

But the intelligence suggests Russia tried to infiltrate the inner-workings of the Trump campaign by using backdoor channels to communicate with people in the Trump orbit, the U.S. officials say.

Page is one of several Trump advisors U.S. and European intelligence found to be in contact with Russian officials and other Russians known to Western intelligence during the campaign, according to multiple U.S. officials.

The scope and frequency of those contacts raised the interest of US intelligence agencies.

The FBI and CIA declined to comment on Page's statement.

As CNN first reported, Carter Page's critical speech of US policy against Russia in July 2016 at a prominent Moscow university drew the attention of the FBI and raised concerns he had been compromised by Russian intelligence. They also feared that Russian operatives maintained contact with him both in the United States and Russia, the U.S. officials say.