Is the FBI overreaching in its investigation of Trump's Russia relations?

Trump's foreign policy may ruffle feathers, but it is not a crime

Trump at a news conference
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The language was jarring: The New York Times reported that the FBI had started an investigation into whether the sitting president of the United States was "working on behalf of Russia against American interests." This was followed by stories in other outlets suggesting President Trump's behavior toward Moscow may have been nefarious.

When greeted with a headline like "FBI Opened Inquiry Into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working on Behalf of Russia," a reader might expect to find shocking new information. Instead, the rationale for the FBI probe appeared to be all the standard reasons for Trump-Russia concern that have been out there for years: the firing of FBI Director James Comey, campaign trail comments about Russia and Hillary Clinton's emails, changes to the Republican platform. All of these are significant matters of interest. But in discussing Trump-Russia, it is important that we distinguish between the potentially criminal or suspicious, and the legitimate, if debatable, policy disagreements.

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W. James Antle III

W. James Antle III is the politics editor of the Washington Examiner, the former editor of The American Conservative, and author of Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?.