Comment on Russian officials reportedly discussed having 'derogatory' information about Trump

Thomson ReutersUS intelligence officials intercepted conversations between Russian government officials during the campaign last year in which they discussed having potentially "derogatory" financial information about President Donald Trump and his associates, CNN reported on Tuesday morning. The news comes days after the Washington Post's explosive report that Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, suggested setting up a secret communications backchannel with Moscow during a meeting with Russia's ambassador in December. It also comes on the heels of reports by Reuters and the New York Times that the FBI is examining whether Sergey Gorkov, the CEO of the sanctioned Vnesheconombank, suggested to Kushner when they met in December that Russian banks could finance Trump associates' business ventures if US sanctions were lifted or relaxed. Russian officials reportedly believed "they had the ability to influence the administration through the derogatory information," according to CNN, but it is unclear when during the election the conversation took place.