Trouble for Trump campaign? FBI raids home of Russia-born analyst who advised him in 2016

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents conducted a raid at the Virginia residence of Dimitri Simes, a policy analyst and author who advised Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and currently hosts a current affairs program on Russia’s state-run Channel One.

“The FBI conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity. We have no further comment as this is an ongoing matter,” the agency’s press office said in response to a TASS request to confirm reports of the raid.

FBI agents first descended on his estate in Rappahannock County, Virginia, on Tuesday morning and returned on Thursday morning, according to Rappahannock News, the first outlet to report the story.

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Neighbours observed the agents seemingly confiscating items from the property, it said.

Simes told TASS he had not been officially notified of the FBI search at his County property. Simes, whose name appeared more than 100 times in the 2019 Mueller report regarding Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, told the Guardian that he was abroad at the time of the raid and had not been informed about the search in advance. He also said that he was unaware of being the subject of any current law enforcement investigation.

“I’m puzzled and concerned. I have not seen a warrant. I was not contacted by any law enforcement or anyone else whatsoever,” the Guardian quoted him as saying.

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In an interview with Russian government-owned Sputnik News on Friday, Simes stated that the raid was an attempt to intimidate not only him but also anyone opposing official policies, particularly those challenging the so-called deep state.

“My suspicion is that instead of trying to get me to come to the United States to interrogate or even arrest me, their real purpose is to make sure that I would not come back,” he added.

Simes began advising Trump’s 2016 campaign on foreign policy after meeting Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, at a luncheon in honor of Henry Kissinger in March 2016. His advice included guidance on a speech Trump gave that advocated for greater cooperation with Russia.