Links between Trump associates and Russian officials

The FBI and several congressional committees have been investigating links between Russian officials and individuals related to U.S. President Donald Trump as part of their investigations of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Some of Trump's campaign members, business partners and administration nominees have been subjected to intense scrutiny following intelligence reports on such Russian interference. The investigations have revealed that many of them have various types of links to Russian officials, business people, banks, and Russian intelligence agencies. Several investigations are underway to determine whether Trump or any of his associates have had improper dealings during their contacts with Russian officials.

Investigations were started by the FBI, the Senate Intelligence Committee and the House Intelligence Committee. In May 2017, former FBI Director Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel in the FBI's investigation.

There has been intensive media scrutiny of Trump's relationship to Russia. During the campaign, Trump repeatedly praised Russian president Vladimir Putin as a strong leader, leading to jokes about their "bromance". Several Trump advisers, including former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and former campaign manager Paul Manafort, have been connected to Russian or Ukrainian officials. Russian agents were overheard during the campaign saying they could use Manafort and Flynn to influence Trump. Members of Trump's campaign and later his White House staff, particularly Flynn and Jared Kushner, were in contact with Russian government officials both before and after the November election, including some contacts which they initially did not disclose. As of May 2017^[update], the FBI is investigating several alleged links between Trump associates and representatives of the Russian government. British and Dutch intelligence services have given information to their United States counterparts about meetings in European cities between Russian officials, associates of Putin, and associates of then-President-elect Trump. American intelligence agencies also intercepted communications of Russian officials, some of them within the Kremlin, discussing contacts with Trump associates.

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