GCHQ first became aware in late 2015 of suspicious “interactions” between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents, a source close to UK intelligence said.
It is understood that GCHQ was at no point carrying out a targeted operation against Trump or his team or proactively seeking information.
The issue of GCHQ’s role in the FBI’s ongoing investigation into possible cooperation between the Trump campaign and Moscow is highly sensitive.
In March Trump tweeted that Barack Obama had illegally “wiretapped” him in Trump Tower.
The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, claimed the “British spying agency” GCHQ had carried out the bugging.
“The only possible explanation is that Trump started tweeting without understanding how the NSA-GCHQ relationship actually works,” Dearlove told Prospect magazine.
“This is between people in the Trump campaign and agents of [Russian] influence relating to the use of hacked material. »