WaPo: FBI Was Alarmed By Presence Of Key Russian Elites At Trump Inauguration

WASHINGTON, USA - JANUARY 20: President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave to the crowds during the 58th U.S. Presidential Inauguration after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of ... WASHINGTON, USA - JANUARY 20: President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave to the crowds during the 58th U.S. Presidential Inauguration after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America in Washington, USA on January 20, 2017. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

FBI counterintelligence officials were alarmed last year when a handful of Russian business leaders and activists with close ties to President Vladimir Putin showed up at Donald Trump’s inaugural festivities, the Washington Post reported Saturday.

Though the report does not specify which attendees drew of the FBI’s interest, former U.S. officials told the Post that they were concerned by the presence of individuals who had come up in the federal probe into the Trump campaign’s links to Russia.

The FBI and White House respectively declined and did not respond to the newspaper’s requests for comment.

Those in attendance included oil tycoon Viktor Vekselberg, pharmaceutical executive Alexey Repik, and lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Veselnitskaya’s summer 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with Donald Trump Jr. and other key campaign officials.

According to the Post’s report, these members of Russia’s one percent rubbed shoulders with high-ranking U.S. officials at balls and other events celebrating Trump’s surprise victory.

Latest Muckraker

Notable Replies

  1. Avatar for tena tena says:

    And rightly so. Not to mention all the damn Russian gangsters buying condos from the man and all the rest of it and there is a whole hell of a lot.

  2. For years if not decades

  3. Avatar for tena tena says:

    Since the 90s. There is a clear trail of Trump visits to Russia starting in the 90s. So it has been decades alright.

  4. Avatar for pshah pshah says:

    I had no idea “adoptions” was such a complex issue.

    Wasn’t Trump collecting money by the boatload for his Inaugural funds? What better way to launder money? And that money is still unaccounted for.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

63 more replies

Participants

Avatar for jackster Avatar for 1gg Avatar for bradbennett Avatar for labman57 Avatar for bluinmaine Avatar for hquain Avatar for gr Avatar for cd Avatar for theghostofeustacetilley Avatar for martinstett Avatar for fitley Avatar for hoagie Avatar for fiftygigs Avatar for pshah Avatar for tena Avatar for clauscph Avatar for rickjones Avatar for jacksonhts Avatar for tiowally Avatar for khyber900 Avatar for michaelryerson Avatar for cub_calloway Avatar for clare Avatar for quickq

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: