Washington (CNN) — The FBI gathered intelligence last summer that suggests Russian operatives tried to use Trump advisers, including Carter Page, to infiltrate the Trump campaign, according to US officials.

Carter Page

The new information adds to the emerging picture of how the Russians tried to influence the 2016 election, not only through email hacks and propaganda but also by trying to infiltrate the Trump orbit. The intelligence led to an investigation into the coordination of Trump’s campaign associates and the Russians.

These 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.

It has already been reported that Russian spies met with Carter Page and attempted to recruit him in 2013.  Michael Isikoff reported in September of 2016 that a “western intelligence source” has seen evidence Page met with Russian officials in July of 2016 and discussed a deal where the Russians would provide information on Clinton in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions on Russia and Russian Oligarchs.

When Carter Page has been asked to explain his behavior, his answers have raised suspicion.  As you can see in the video below, he has apparently been “respectful to the organizers” of political conferences and he has been “respectful of confidentiality rules” for almost an entire year.

Page was asked about the allegations made in the CNN story on CNN.  He attempted to criticize the reporting of CNN and other news organizations and diminish the significance of the allegations, but he did not deny them.