Ex-Trump aide finishes hours of Russia probe grand jury testimony
WASHINGTON: Former Trump campaign aide Sam Nunberg emerged from a Washington, DC, federal courthouse after spending some six hours before a grand jury convened by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of his investigation into whether Russia meddled in the 2016 US presidential election.
Nunberg had defiantly balked at testifying in the investigation that is also looking into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. Neither he nor his attorney made public remarks.
Nunberg, who was subpoenaed by the federal grand jury, creating a media frenzy by telling multiple news outlets that he would ignore the order, even at the risk of jail.
He speculated on targets of the Russia investigation and said he did not want to sort through an abundance of email despite the subpoena.
A CNN interviewer told Nunberg that she smelled alcohol on his breath but he denied that he had been drinking, while he said he would comply with the subpoena. Fox Business Network reported that Nunberg intended to seek treatment for alcoholism following his grand jury appearance.
Nunberg, 36, is an associate of Trump ally and longtime political consultant Roger Stone. Mueller wants to determine if Stone played any role in the publication of Democratic emails hacked by Russian intelligence operatives, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
Russia has denied that it meddled in the election and Trump has said there was no collusion between Moscow and his campaign. —