President Donald Trump falsely claimed in a tweet that there were “No questions on Collusion” in a list of questions the special counsel reportedly has for the president. There are several inquiries about possible collusion among the questions published by the New York Times.
On April 30, the Times reported that special counsel Robert S. Mueller III had “at least four dozen questions on an exhaustive array of subjects he wants to ask President Trump to learn more about his ties to Russia and determine whether he obstructed the inquiry itself.” The Times published the list and said it came out of discussions between Trump’s lawyers and the special counsel’s office, which has sought to question the president.
The next morning, Trump said on Twitter that it was “disgraceful” that the questions were “leaked,” adding that there were none on “collusion,” which he called “a made up, phony crime.”
So disgraceful that the questions concerning the Russian Witch Hunt were “leaked” to the media. No questions on Collusion. Oh, I see…you have a made up, phony crime, Collusion, that never existed, and an investigation begun with illegally leaked classified information. Nice!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 1, 2018
But there are several questions in the published list about possible collusion. The Times divided the list into four categories, related to: former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, former FBI Director James Comey, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and campaign coordination with Russia. That last category includes:
- During the campaign, what did you know about Russian hacking, use of social media or other acts aimed at the campaign? (A U.S. intelligence report released on Jan. 6, 2017, said Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered “an influence campaign” to help elect Trump. The report accused the Russian-based Internet Research Agency of overseeing an extensive pro-Trump social media campaign, and the Russian military intelligence agency of leaking damaging emails about Clinton and her campaign to WikiLeaks and other outlets.)
- When did you become aware of the Trump Tower meeting? (This is the June 2016 meeting arranged by Donald Trump Jr. with a Russian lawyer offering incriminating information on Hillary Clinton. Paul Manafort, who at the time was Trump’s campaign convention manager, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, also attended the meeting.)
- During a 2013 trip to Russia, what communication and relationships did you have with the Agalarovs and Russian government officials? (Russian pop star Emin Agalarov and his father were involved in setting up the Trump Tower meeting.)
- What knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about potential assistance to the campaign?
- What did you know about communication between Roger Stone, his associates, Julian Assange or WikiLeaks? (Stone, a friend and an informal adviser to Trump, said in Aug. 8, 2016, remarks to the Southwest Broward Republican Organization that he had “communicated with Assange,” referring to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.)
- What do you know about a 2017 meeting in Seychelles involving Erik Prince? (The Times notes that this meeting “brought Mr. Prince, an informal adviser to Mr. Trump’s team, together with a Russian investor close to Mr. Putin.”)
For more on the key moments in the FBI’s and special counsel’s probe of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, see our “Timeline of Russia Investigation.”
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