Probe looks at Trump aides’ ties to Russia
It’s unclear whether Russian dealings tied to campaign
Law enforcement and intelligence agencies look at communications and financial transactions possibly linking Russian officials and associates of President-elect Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON — American law enforcement and intelligence agencies are examining intercepted communications and financial transactions as part of a broad investigation into possible links between Russian officials and associates of President-elect Donald J. Trump, including his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, current and former senior American officials said.
The continuing counterintelligence investigation means that Trump will take the oath of office on Friday with his associates under investigation and after the intelligence agencies concluded that the Russian government had worked to help elect him.
It is not clear whether the intercepted communications had anything to do with Trump’s campaign, or Trump himself. It is also unclear whether the inquiry has anything to do with an investigation into the hacking of the Democratic National Committee’s computers and other attempts to disrupt the elections in November. The American government has concluded that the Russian government was responsible for a broad computer hacking campaign, including the operation against the DNC.
Manafort contacts eyed
The counterintelligence investigation centers at least in part on the business dealings that some of the president-elect’s past and present advisers have had with Russia. Manafort has done business in Ukraine and Russia. Some of his contacts there were under surveillance by the National Security Agency for suspected links to Russia’s Federal Security Service, one of the officials said.
Manafort is among at least three Trump campaign advisers whose possible links to Russia are under scrutiny. Two others are Carter Page, a businessman and former foreign policy adviser to the campaign, and Roger Stone, a longtime Republican operative.
The FBI is leading the investigations, aided by the National Security Agency, the CIA and the Treasury Department’s financial crimes unit. The investigators have accelerated their efforts in recent weeks but have found no conclusive evidence of wrongdoing, the officials said. One official said intelligence reports based on some of the wiretapped communications had been provided to the White House.
It is unclear which Russian officials are under investigation, or what particular conversations caught the attention of American eavesdroppers.
“We have absolutely no knowledge of any investigation or even a basis for such an investigation,” said Hope Hicks, a spokeswoman for the Trump transition.
Fears of obstruction
In a statement Thursday, Manafort called allegations that he had interactions with the Russian government a “Democrat Party dirty trick and completely false.”
The decision to open the investigations was not based on a dossier of salacious allegations that were compiled by a former British spy working for a Washington research firm.
Representatives of the agencies involved declined to comment. Of the halfdozen current and former officials who confirmed the existence of the investigations, some said they were providing information because they feared the new administration would obstruct their efforts. All spoke on condition of anonymity.
Numerous news outlets, including The New York Times, have reported on the FBI investigations into Trump’s advisers. On Wednesday, McClatchy revealed the existence of a multiagency working group to coordinate investigations across the government.