Carter Page has been called a Russian stooge, an American patriot, a key Trump adviser, and a hopeless hanger-on. In the annals of intrigue surrounding Donald Trump’s supposed ties to the Russians, there may be no one whose role is both more central — and more inscrutable — than Page. His name has cropped up in Moscow speeches and FBI affidavits, in private meetings at the Republican National Convention, and in policy briefings. Yet he insists his role in the campaign was negligible and that his influence on Trump was virtually nonexistent. As part of their probe into Russia’s possible links to the Trump campaign, the FBI and Justice Department obtained a warrant to monitor Page’s communications last summer, the Washington Post reported.