Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on investigations into Russian meddling in the 2017 campaign (all times EDT):
6:30 p.m.
A person familiar with an investigation into potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign says Special Counsel Robert Mueller is using a grand jury in Washington as part of the probe.
The person was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Wall Street Journal first reported the grand jury.
Mueller was appointed special counsel in May following the firing of FBI Director James Comey.
Meanwhile, lawyers for Trump say they have no reason to believe the president himself is under investigation.
Grand juries are common vehicles to subpoena witnesses and records, though they do not suggest any criminal charges are near. A grand jury in Virginia has been used to gather information on Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser.
— Chad Day
___
4:50 p.m.
A lawyer for President Donald Trump says he has no reason to believe the president is under federal investigation amid a media report that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is using a grand jury as part of his probe.
Attorney John Dowd said in a statement to The Associated Press on Thursday that he had no information suggesting that the president himself is under investigation.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Mueller was using a grand jury in Washington. A grand jury is a common vehicle for government investigators to subpoena witnesses and records, though it doesn't suggest any charges are near. A grand jury in Virginia has been used to gather information on Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser.
Ty Cobb, special counsel to the president, also says he had no knowledge of a grand jury. He says such matters are typically secret, and the White House "favors anything that accelerates the conclusion of his work fairly."
___
11:11 a.m.
The top Democrat on the House oversight committee wants information from a business partner of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's. The goal is to learn more about Flynn's foreign contacts and security clearance.
Congressman Elijah Cummings made the request Thursday in a letter to businessman Bijan Kian. Cummings requested documents about Flynn's foreign contacts, travels and ties to foreign businesses. Cummings says Kian told federal investigators in 2016 that Flynn had work relationships with foreign businesses. But the Maryland Democrat says Flynn failed to report those.
Flynn has come under scrutiny for accepting foreign payments without notifying the government. Kian and Flynn also partnered in a consulting firm that did more than half a million dollars' worth of lobbying and research they acknowledge could have benefited the Turkish government.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
