There are conflicting reports emerging in the US media alleging that a new FBI investigation is underway that is trying to assess if there are any ties between US Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump and the government of Russia.
Slate has reported on the existence of a server owned by the Trump Organization that was used to send or recieve communications with two servers registered to Alfa Bank, the largest commercial bank in Russia. NBC News has reported that there is an open preliminary FBI investigation into the matter.
But the New York Times has also reported this evening that, for now at least, no firm ties between the Republican nominee and the Russian government have been established.
Many of Donald Trump's senior staffers also have long-established ties to Russia and other governments in eastern Europe. Most notably, his former campagin chair Paul Manafort served as an advisor to the former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was deposed in 2014. Yanukovych is a longtime ally of Russia's President, Vladimir Putin.