Veteran FBI trainer says probe of Trump aide breached agency norms

Rob Chadwick, a three-decade veteran of the FBI and former tactical-training chief, said that the bureau’s work for special counsel Jack Smith strayed from customary practice, especially the deployment of a pen register on presidential campaign aide Susie Wiles from February to May 2023. The device logged calls with at least 21 Trump-linked lawyers, staff and journalists, including John Solomon, raising concerns about the extreme sensitivity of the subjects.

Chadwick asked whether the affidavit presented to the judge fully described this sensitivity or omitted material facts. He also highlighted the absence of any written Form 302 summary from an interview with former CIA director John Brennan, an unusual lapse in FBI documentation. The allegations come amid broader scrutiny of the Smith investigation, which includes the controversial Mar-a-Lago raid and a meeting with Brennan that was recorded with blank notes. Lawmakers such as Chuck Grassley and Jim Jordan have called for further examination of the special counsel’s conduct.