Donald Trump's presidential campaign hired an Israeli private intelligence agency to conduct a 'dirty ops' campaign against key figures from the Obama administration who negotiated the Iran nuclear deal, the Observer has revealed. The operation targeted Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security adviser, and Colin Kahl, a national security adviser to Joe Biden, in an attempt to discredit the 2015 agreement.
Sources said that officials linked to Trump's team contacted private investigators in May last year, days after Trump visited Tel Aviv. The investigators were instructed to dig into the personal lives and political careers of Rhodes and Kahl, examining personal relationships, any involvement with Iran-friendly lobbyists, and whether they had benefited personally or politically from the deal. They also sought to contact journalists who had frequent contact with the targets to establish if any protocols had been violated.
Jack Straw, former foreign secretary, described the allegations as 'extraordinary and appalling', illustrating a 'high level of desperation' by Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A former high-ranking British diplomat called the actions 'bloody outrageous', noting that such dirty tricks undermine the negotiation process.
It remains unclear how much work was actually undertaken or what became of any material unearthed. Both Rhodes and Kahl said they were unaware of the campaign. Rhodes commented: 'I was not aware, though sadly am not surprised. Digging up dirt on someone for carrying out their professional responsibilities is a chillingly authoritarian thing to do.' The White House's national security council offered no comment.
