Senate Asks Trump Associates for Records of Communication With Russians

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Source: New York Times

Senate Asks Trump Associates for Records of Communication With Russians

By MATTHEW ROSENBERG and MAGGIE HABERMAN MAY 5, 2017

WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee, seeking to accelerate its broad investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election, has asked a number of high-profile Trump campaign associates to hand over emails and other records of communications and dealings with Russian officials and businesspeople. ... The requests, made in letters sent by the committee in the past 10 days, are a preliminary step and open the way to subpoenas for anyone who does not comply, said two officials with knowledge of the Senate investigation. They said Senator Richard M. Burr, a North Carolina Republican who is chairman of the committee, was prepared to compel the Trump associates to turn over their records.

Among those who said they had received the requests were Roger J. Stone, an informal adviser to President Trump, and Carter Page, a businessman and former foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign. Paul Manafort, the former campaign chairman, and Michael T. Flynn, the former national security adviser, were also sent letters, said the officials with knowledge of the investigation. Representatives for both men declined to comment.
....

The letter from the Senate committee, which was jointly signed by Senator Burr and Senator Mark Warner, a Virginia Democrat who is vice chairman of the panel, asks its recipients to list all the meetings they had with Russian officials or business people from June 16, 2015, through Jan. 20, 2017. It set a May 9 deadline for a response.

Then, the committee requested that by May 19, the recipients hand over records of all communications — including emails, text messages and phone logs — with Russian officials or business people from the same period. It also asks them for information on any of their financial or real estate holdings related to Russia and to list any meetings they know of between other Trump campaign associates and Russians.

Follow Matthew Rosenberg on Twitter at @AllMattNYT, and Maggie Haberman at @maggieNYT


Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/us/politics/senate-russia-trump-associates.html

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Hat tip, Nick Timiraos.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has sent letters to four former Trump campaign officials seeking records and info

Link to tweet

[shraby]

1. And so it begins!!

[L. Coyote]

16. Meanwhile, the people getting the letters are likely subjects of sealed indictments already.

And if they don't respond honestly, they will incur further charges. Some have beed the subjects of surveillance, sdo they know they can't hide a damn thing.

Watch them start pleading the Fifth Amendment in unison!

Olbermann? VIDEO: Comey may have confirmed - VA Grand Jury is impaneled on Trump/Russia

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. White House already stone-walling on Flynn documents. They have refused to release any. Not one.

Expect lots of the symptoms of a coverup to rear their ugly heads as this request / order unfolds.

[Eyeball_Kid]

4. This request for documents increases the pressure.

Subpoenas are the next step. Then they will have no choice. But really, they have no choice right now. Stonewalling the requests does not buy a whole lot of time.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Yeah. Coverup symptoms will include stories of erased data, lost documents, my dog ate it, etc. nt

[Thor_MN]

21. And the people that are getting these request should know that they already have much of it.

If they are going to lie, they better be lucky in matching their lies to what is already known.

[RKP5637]

11. I feel like a criminal gang runs this country anymore, and in fact it's looking more and

more like ti does. I think tRump is in so far over his head ... and his tax returns, he has so incriminated himself over that. It's absolutely clear he has something to hide. If it were just that he's not as wealthy as he says, or the bankruptcies, most Americans would understand that, but it's now quite clear he must really really have something to hide just with that.

[L. Coyote]

17. Russian mobsters at that. And you know how they got rich, breaking up a country!!

All the signs are there, Trump and his gangsters want to break up the USA and make off with all the assets, just like Putin and friends did.

[RKP5637]

23. So many Americans are so damn naive and really are marks. This country is ripe for this

to occur. Just the fact Trump got in shows how easy a target the US is. I think many people think a takeover involves weapons, traditional warfare, soldiers and all of that. That's old school.

Citizens had better wake the fuck up to what's going on and stop believing the bullshit propaganda. Just what is going on with healthcare should wake them the F up, but I doubt it for many.

The GOP is ripe for all of this, throw some money at the GOP and they don't give a F about the country, citizens or anything.

[YOHABLO]

25. The Republican Party (GOP) are a criminal organization at this point IMO

they are not in Congress to do the bidding of their constituents. No they're there to work for Corporate America, and in return, they know they'll be graciously rewarded. Fuck em.

[RKP5637]

27. Americans are very very stupid! I seriously wonder how many Americans even begin to

comprehend what is going on. Frankly, I've lost a lot of faith in the future of this country. And most of congress is worthless. They are there to enrich themselves and to rip off America. In fact, some of them probably belong jailed IMO if all the truth were to be known.

[YOHABLO]

30. I live in a community just outside of ATL GA. and there ain't nothin going on in these ppls

minds. The young especially are clueless as to what is going on. I see many students studying at the Starbucks and such, but ask them about the political scene and nada.

[Eyeball_Kid]

3. The turkeys are in the oven.

[Freethinker65]

6. I am guessing the intelligence committee already has seen many of records due to FISA

It will be interesting to see what does, and does not, get officially provided by Stone, Page, Manafort, and Flynn. If they knowingly neglect to provide records (cherrypick and give only non-incriminating documents) already gotten through FISA warrants, things should get ugly very quickly.

[Honeycombe8]

7. An Intel Committee is actually doing its job? Wow!

Will wonders never cease?

I only wonder, though, WHY is the Senate Intel Committee moving on this, and the House Intel Committee didn't? Why the difference?

[cstanleytech]

8. If there are any Repugnants on it though dont be shocked if they dont try to scuttle it. nt

[Honeycombe8]

12. Well, yes. The head of the Intel Committee is the head of the party in majority, which is the Repubs

Just like in the House.

So I wonder if the Senate is just better because it doesn't have as many Trumpers or wackos.

[cstanleytech]

20. After what they did to force Gorsuch on the country I would not count on that. nt

[Honeycombe8]

28. True enough. Maybe it's for show. nt

[cstanleytech]

32. There is no maybe there at all, if they and the other Repugnants were honest then there would have

been an independent investigation implemented months ago over this but thats not going to happen because I suspect that there were a number of Repugnants in Congress who were involved in it as well and an investigation thats not under their thumb would make it harder to cover any criminal activity up on their part.

[Honeycombe8]

34. Maybe. But there's not even a consensus among Dems that an indpendent investigation...

is the best way to go. At least from what I can determine. Some think it would just draw the investigation out longer, taking years.

I don't know. If it were me, I'd appoint an independent to do it. But that's me.

[denbot]

9. I guess Burr thinks the hammer is about to drop, and his delaying tactics failed.

Now he has to appear that he's doing his job, to save his own skin. I believe republicans thought that if they drag their feet the Russian connections would fade away.

[annabanana]

10. Is Burr going to hand over HIS?

I think anyone who was part of the transition prob has a note or two that we should see...

[Mr. Ected]

31. Ryan should have removed Nunes and McConnell should have removed Burr

Both having conflicts of interest due to their involvement on Trump's transition team.

The Republicans have stonewalled from the beginning and will continue to stonewall to the greatest extent that it can.

The truth will out.

[louis-t]

13. Ha! Somebody thought they kept records!

Criminals usually don't keep records of their illegal activity.

[YOHABLO]

26. You're absolutely right. Those docs were purged weeks ago.

[ProfessorPlum]

33. Those records exist forever on email servers

And are probably in possession of the committee.

Deleting your Sent folder doesn't do much these days

[BigmanPigman]

14. Adam Schiff told Rachel last night that we still need to CALL and CALL

for a separate independent investigation since he does not trust Comey at all and the Senate and House committees are STILL very partisan and slowing things down as well.

[tinrobot]

15. "Hand over the emails..."

Sounds familiar.

Almost like the shoe is now on the other foot...

[L. Coyote]

18. Any bets on how many private e-mail servers this reveals?

I hope Pence is on the request list.

Link to tweet

[WhiteHat]

19. Baby steps.

When Congress gets serious about documents necessary to the investigation, they'll subpoena them, just as they did with Hillary Clinton. Until then, it's only a "request" which Trump can not just ignore, but use as a sign to indicate which documents to destroy.

[sarcasmo]

22. A nice slow drip.

[red dog 1]

24. K&R

Well, at least the Senate Intel committee is doing something, unlike the House Intel committee.

[briv1016]

29. Any findings are going to be classified.

Anyone expecting Republicans to self destruct with this "investigation" is going to be very disappointed. It's party over everything else.

[jpak]

35. They won't get a thing from these Traitors and Trump will protect them

yup