"Attacks on the FBI and lying about its work will do lasting damage to our country," the former bureau chief wrote online. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Comey defends FBI use of informants

Former FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday pushed back against allegations by President Donald Trump and his allies that the bureau may have been "spying" on his campaign through an informant during the 2016 elections, warning that attacks on the U.S. law enforcement agency "will do lasting damage to our country."

"Facts matter. The FBI’s use of Confidential Human Sources (the actual term) is tightly regulated and essential to protecting the country," the former bureau chief wrote on Twitter. "Attacks on the FBI and lying about its work will do lasting damage to our country."


He later added: "Dangerous time when our country is led by those who will lie about anything, backed by those who will believe anything, based on information from media sources that will say anything. Americans must break out of that bubble and seek truth."

The remarks followed an array of online missives by the president criticizing the "Criminal Deep State" over reports an FBI informant made contact with the Trump campaign in 2016 as part of the federal investigation into Russian election meddling and ties to his team. Trump took to Twitter to dub the matter "SPYGATE," arguing that if his allegations proved true, it would be "one of the biggest political scandals in history!"

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The president and his allies in recent days have seized on the revelation to question whether an informant was implanted in the campaign for political purposes, seemingly as part of an effort to undermine the ongoing Russia probe run by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Over the weekend Trump demanded that the Justice Department and FBI "look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes" under former President Barack Obama. In response, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein referred the question to the DOJ's inspector general.

The White House has also invited a group of Republican legislators to a briefing on Thursday where they will be given access to classified information relating to the FBI probe into Russian election interference in 2016.

Democratic lawmakers were not invited to the gathering, which was coordinated by White House chief of staff John Kelly.

"How will Republicans explain this to their grandchildren?" Comey added on Wednesday.

Trump took direct aim at the former FBI director over the remarks later on Wednesday.

"If you look at what he's said, all of the lies, all of the fiction, I think he's got a lot of problems," Trump told reporters outside the White House.

Trump added that he "did a great service to this country by firing James Comey.”

Comey was fired by Trump in May 2017 and has become a frequent target of criticism for the president. Trump told NBC News in the days following the ouster that the Russia probe was on his mind when he was mulling the decision to dismiss Comey, an assertion from which he has since backed off.