NYT: FBI Probing Communications Between Trump Allies And Russia

The FBI is leading an investigation into whether there were communications between associates of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign and Russian officials, the New York Times reported Thursday. The National Security Agency, the C.I.A. and the Treasury Department’s financial crimes unit are also involved in the probe, which is zeroing in on Trump allies Paul Manafort, Carter Page and Roger Stone. The New York Times report is based on accounts of current and former senior American officials said.

From the Times:

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.

Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks told the New York Times, “We have absolutely no knowledge of any investigation or even a basis for such an investigation.” Manafort called the allegations of his ties to Russia a “Democrat Party dirty trick and completely false.” Page said he did “nothing wrong” and his opponents were “pulling a page out of the Watergate playbook.” Stone claimed he had “no Russian influences,” and said that the assertions were “nonsense” and “totally false.”

According to the Times, the probe is examining electronic intercepts:

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.

Representatives of the agencies reportedly involved in the probe did not comment to the New York Times.

Once Trump is sworn in as President Friday, he will have the authority to redirect or stop aspects of the investigation, the Times said.

Of the half-dozen 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.

The probe comes as the U.S. intelligence community has already concluded that Russia sought to disrupt the presidential campaign, through cyberattacks and other methods. The Senate intelligence committee is also conducting a broad investigation of Russia’s role in election-related interferences.

The probe reported Thursday is examining the business dealings that Manafort, who for a time served as Trump’s campaign manager, allegedly conducted in Russia and Ukraine, according to the Times. Page’s Russian ties have previously been the subject of scrutiny. Stone attracted attention during the campaign for claiming communications with Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, and for correctly predicting the release of hacked materials from Democratic officials on the website.