Mueller subpoenas Trump Organization for Russia documents: report

The special counsel investigating possible collusion between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential campaign has subpoenaed the Trump Organization, demanding documents related to Russia, according to a New York Times report.

The subpoenas, issued by Robert Mueller, call for documents related to Russia and other issues, the report says.

They mark the first direct requests for documents from the Trump business empire made by the special investigation.

Trump told the New York Times in July that any investigation into his family’s finances would be “crossing a red line”.

The Trump Organization maintains it has never owned property in Russia.

However, Trump signed a “letter of intent” for a real-estate project in Moscow in 2015.

Mueller has headed a special investigation into possible collusion between Russia and Trump’s presidential campaign since May 2017, after Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey.

The investigation has branched out into the business conduct of several of Trump’s aides and advisers, including Paul Manafort, Rick Gates and Michael Flynn.

The investigation and leaked emails have put forth evidence that the governments of Israel and the UAE also tried to gain influence with the Trump administration.

The New York Times also noted that emails between longtime Trump business associate Felix Sater and Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen show the former bragging about his ties to Russia.

“Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it,” Slater wrote. “I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process.”

The White House and the Trump Organization have yet to comment on the subpoenas.