Robert Mueller said to be focusing Russia probe on Trump's financial ties
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is delving into President Trump's finances in connection with his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, CNN reports. Individuals familiar with Mueller's probe told CNN that investigators have "seized on Trump and his associates' financial ties to Russia as one of the most fertile avenues for moving their probe forward."
Mueller is tasked with investigating whether Trump or his campaign associates colluded with Russia in its attempts to interfere with the election. Mueller's team apparently believes the money trail "could offer a more concrete path toward potential prosecution than the broader and murkier questions of collusion." His investigation — which absorbed one already underway by federal prosecutors involving former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn — is wide-ranging, and "even investigative leads that have nothing to do with Russia but involve Trump associates are being referred to the special counsel," CNN reports.
In addition to Flynn, investigators have encountered communications that appear to show Russian operatives discussing Trump's former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, in connection with efforts to undermine Hillary Clinton in last year's race.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The financial probing has involved Trump Organization records, as well as those of Trump and his family members personally; individuals connected to the 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which Trump held in Moscow; and tenants and buyers of Trump-branded real estate properties. It's not clear whether tax returns are being reviewed.
Jay Sekulow, the president's attorney, told CNN that the president's outside counsel "has not received any requests for documentation or information" about the increased financial scrutiny. "Any inquiry from the special counsel that goes beyond the mandate specified in the appointment, we would object to." Trump told The New York Times last month that he would consider any probing of his finances by Mueller a "violation."
Earlier Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Mueller had impaneled a grand jury in Washington, D.C., in connection with the Russia probe, while Reuters reported that grand jury subpoenas had been issued regarding Donald Trump Jr.'s June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer, which the president's son has said he accepted because he was promised damaging information on Clinton.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Critics’ choice: Watering holes for gourmandsFeature An endless selection of Mexican spirits, a Dublin-inspired bar, and an upscale Baltimore pub
-
Argentinian beef is at the center of American farmers’ woesThe Explainer ‘It feels like a slap in the face to rural America,’ said one farmer
-
‘Businesses that lose money and are uncompetitive won’t survive’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
