Feds investigating Trump advisor’s meeting with Russian officials seeking to influence U.S. 9/27/16, 2:52 PM Feds investigating Trump advisor’s meeting with Russian officials seeking to influence U.S. 9/27/16, 2:52 PM

U.S. law enforcement is looking into Donald Trump foreign policy advisor Carter Page’s meetings with high-ranking Russian ofcials this summer, Aaron Rupar Follow Yahoo’s Michael Isikof reports. Associate editor, ThinkProgress. Twitter: @atrupar. Email: [email protected] 4 days ago · 4 min read Page, who Trump said was one of his five foreign policy advisors last March, is suspected of communicating with “senior Russian ofcials” about “the Feds investigating Trump advisor’s meeting with possible lifting of economic sanctions” if Trump becomes president, Yahoo Russian ofcials seeking to infuence reports, citing “multiple sources who have been briefed on the issue.” U.S. election One of the ofcials Page allegedly met with, Igor Diveykin, is “believed by Harry Reid wrote the FBI, demanding action. U.S. ofcials to have responsibility for intelligence collected by Russian agencies about the U.S. election.” Russia is widely believed to be behind high- profile computer hacks that appear timed to influence the presidential election.

ThinkProgress obtained a letter from Sen. Harry Reid to the FBI, dated August 27, demanding an investigation into Page’s contacts with the Russians. Reid’s letter refers to Page as a “Trump advisor” with “investments in Russian energy conglomerate Gazprom.”

Carter Page, an adviser to U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, speaks at the graduation ceremony for the New Economic School in Moscow, Russia, Friday, July 8, 2016. Page is a former investment banker who previously worked in Russia. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/PAVEL GOLOVKIN

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Page worked in Russia for Merrill Lynch for three years starting in 2004. have concluded that the Russian intelligence agencies are making a serious Sergey Aleksashenko, who became head of the bank’s Moscow operation in and concerted efort to influence the U.S. election.” 2006, told Reuters last month that he viewed Trump’s selection of Page as “a strange choice.” “At the least, this efort is intended to sow doubt about the security of our election and may well be intended to influence the outcomes of the election — Page traveled to Russia this summer and gave a speech criticizing U.S. foreign we can see no other rationale for the behavior of the Russians,” the statement policy. From Yahoo: continues, going on to say “that orders for the Russian intelligence agencies to conduct such actions could come only from very senior levels of the Russian Page showed up again in Moscow in early July, just two weeks before the government.” Republican National Convention formally nominated Trump for president, and once again criticized U.S. policy. Speaking at a commencement address for the Trump, for his part, downplayed reports that Russia might be trying to New Economic School, an institution funded in part by major Russian oligarchs meddle in American politics during an interview that aired earlier this month close to Putin, Page asserted that “Washington and other West capitals” had on the Russia-run RT network. impeded progress in Russia “through their often hypocritical focus on ideas such as democratization, inequality, corruption and regime change.” Trump has praised Putin, calling the man presiding over a country where opposition leaders have been killed under mysterious circumstances “highly Page isn’t the only Trump advisor whose connections to Russia have come respected within his own country and beyond.” During a presidential forum under scrutiny. Last December, retied Gen. Michael Flynn, a prominent Trump broadcast on NBC earlier this month, Trump said that if Putin “says great military advisor, traveled to Russia and gave a speech during a tenth things about me, I’m going to say great things about him” and commended anniversary celebration for Russian state-owned media company RT. He’s Putin’s high approval ratings in Russia — a country known for stifling dissident refused to answer questions about who paid him for the appearance. journalists.

In March, Trump hired veteran Republican political operative Paul Manafort Around the same time as the forum, Trump surrogates, including campaign to lead his delegate-recruitment eforts. Manafort quickly rose to become vice presidential nominee Mike Pence and campaign manager Kellyanne Trump’s campaign manager, but left that position last month amid reports Conway, defended Trump’s praise of Putin during TV interviews. Both echoed Ukrainian authorities were investigating him for allegedly receiving $12.7 Trump’s statement that Putin is a stronger leader than President Obama. million in illegal payments from Ukraine’s former pro-Russia ruling party. In the Yahoo report, Trump spokesman Jason Miller says Page “has no role” in During a news conference a month before Manafort stepped down, Trump Trump’s campaign, adding, “we are not aware of any of his activities, past or brazenly encouraged Russian hackers to obtain emails deleted from Hillary present.” But Miller couldn’t explain why Trump would’ve cited him as an Clinton’s private server. Those comments came in the wake of a massive hack advisor in the past. And as recently as last month, Trump spokesperson Hope of the Democratic National Committee’s emails that sparked controversy Hicks described Carter as an “informal foreign advisor.” about how the party treated Bernie Sanders days ahead of the Democratic National Convention. State election databases have also reportedly been The full text of Reid’s letter is below: hacked.

On Thursday, the top Democrats on the intelligence committee pinned those hacks on Russian intelligence. A joint statement from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Rep. Adam Schif said, “Based on briefings we have received, we

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