The New York Times reports Special Counsel Robert Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump Organization for documents, some of which are related to Russia, marking the first known time Mueller has asked for records from the president's businesses.
The breadth of the subpoena was not clear, nor was it clear why Mr. Mueller issued it instead of simply asking for the documents from the company, an umbrella organization that oversees Mr. Trump’s business ventures. In the subpoena, delivered in recent weeks, Mr. Mueller ordered the Trump Organization to hand over all documents related to Russia and other topics he is investigating ...
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Word of the subpoena comes as Mr. Mueller appears to be broadening his investigation to examine the role foreign money may have played in funding Mr. Trump’s political activities. In recent weeks, Mr. Mueller’s investigators have questioned witnesses, including an adviser to the United Arab Emirates, about the flow of Emirati money into the United States.
The Trump Organization's outside lawyer, Alan Futerfas, issued a statement in response to the news of Mueller's subpoena, falsely claiming it is nothing new.
“Since July 2017, we have advised the public that the Trump Organization is fully cooperative with all investigations, including the Special Counsel, and is responding to their requests. This is old news and our assistance and cooperation with the various investigations remains the same today.”
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A subpoena from Mueller to the Trump Organization may signal a significant escalation of his probe, law enforcement experts said. It also threatens to further agitate Trump, who told The New York Times last July that he would consider it “a violation” if the special counsel’s office looked into his personal finances.
The Times points out Mueller's request comes at the same time he and Trump's lawyers are in negotiations over a possible interview.
Mr. Mueller’s office has shared topics it wants to discuss with the president, according to two people familiar with the talks. The lawyers have advised Mr. Trump to refuse an interview but the president wants to do it, as he believes he has done nothing wrong and can easily answer investigators’ questions.
Mueller Subpoenas Trump Organization, Demanding Documents About Russia (NYT)
Lawyer says Trump Org cooperating with Mueller probe after subpoena news (Politico)