The investigation into Russian involvement in the US Presidential election last year and possible collusion of the Russians with the Trump campaign could get pretty sticky for united states president Donald Trump if recent reports are to be believed. According to a report by Bloomberg yesterday, US special counsel Robert Mueller is going to expand the scope of the investigation and look into Trump's business transactions for any links to Russia.
A new direction
Over the past two months, the US special counsel has investigated people close to the President as regards to their links to Russia and Trump's son in law Jared Kushner has been one of the highest profile subjects of the investigation.
However, this is the first time the President's own business transactions and those of his close business associates are now going to be investigated. Needless to say, the investigation has definitely gone on a new trajectory.
According to an individual close to the developments, the special counsel will not only look into a range of business deals that the President has been involved in but also those of his close business associates. The investigation will focus on some of the business deals in which the President had been involved with Russians. Investigations will focus on the purchases made by Russians through Trump's real estate projects, Russian investment in a SoHo project, the sale of a mansion in Florida to a Russian magnate and the Miss Universe event held in Moscow back in 2013.
Trump's lawyer dismissed reports
Following the publication of the report, one of Donald Trump's lawyers reacted to the developments and went on to say that the President's legal advisors are not aware of any such investigation. John Dowd, the lawyer in question, also stated in an e-mail that such investigations are beyond the remit of the US special counsel.
Dowd stated, “Those transactions are in my view well beyond the mandate of the Special counsel; are unrelated to the election of 2016 or any alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia and most importantly, are well beyond any Statute of Limitation imposed by The United States Code,”
The report also stated that Paul Manafort, who had been Donald Trump's campaign manager could also find himself in the clutches of the investigation. Federal investigators in New York have initiated a money laundering investigation and according to the report, it will now be a part of Mueller's investigation as well.
