Just hours ago, the Reuters news agency put out an exclusive that current and former U.S. White House officials familiar with the 2016 race said Michael Flynn and other Trump advisers were in contact with Russian officials during the last seven months of Donald Trump's presidential campaign. Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties were in contact at least eighteen times via phone calls and emails, sources told the news agency.
Kislyak and Flynn wanted to set up a back channel
Four U.S. officials told the news agency that calls between Russia's ambassador to the U.S., Sergei Kislyak, and Michael Flynn accelerated after the November 8 vote.
It has been established that Kislyak and Flynn wanted to set up a back channel so Trump and Putin could bypass U.S.bureaucracy that both sides considered a hostile interference.
Back in January, Trump's White House denied having contact with Russia during the 2016 race. Since then, the White House and Trump's campaign advisers have admitted that there were four meetings held between Donald Trump and the Russian Ambassador at that time.
No evidence of wrongdoing
Those who informed Reuters said there was no evidence the people involved were guilty of any wrongdoing, but that this new piece of information could put more pressure on the president and his people to give the FBI and Congress everything they have on their interactions with the Kremlin during the 2016 Election and immediately after.
Michael Flynn's attorney declined to answer any questions, as did the White House. Russian officials told Reuters they should present their questions to the President Trump's administration.
Calls and electronic messages were exchanged
Between April and November 2016 eighteen calls and electronic messages took place. U.S. intelligence has concluded that in January, hackers engaged, as part of a Kremlin campaign, hoping to influence the outcome in favor of Trump.
Members of the Senate and House intelligence committees have sent documents, transcripts and all material that relates to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin have been handed over to the CIA and the National Security Agency for review.
Reuters was also informed of another twelve calls, emails or text messages involving people thought to be close to the Russian president and advisers within the Trump camp.
A Ukrainian oligarch and politician, Viktor Medvedchuk, was one of the Kremlin's contacts who had intimate knowledge of the exchange.
Michael Flynn was fired in February when it became clear that he had lied about the nature of his conversations with the Russian Ambassador in late December. Their meetings/conversations took place after the 2016 election and right after the Obama administration announced new sanctions on Russia.
