Trump Transition Team Orders Former Aides to Preserve Russia-Related Materials -
By ADAM GOLDMAN, JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS and MATTHEW ROSENBERGJUNE 16, 2017
WASHINGTON — Members of President Trump’s transition team were ordered on Thursday to preserve documents
and other materials related to the investigation of Russian interference in the presidential election, according to a memo obtained by .
It also seeks any background investigation records involving the former manager of the Trump campaign, Paul Manafort,
and his business partner, Rick Gates; the former foreign policy adviser Carter Page; and the former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn.
The memo says former transition team members “have a duty to preserve any physical and electronic records
that may be related in any way to the subject matter of the pending investigations.”
The so-called preservation order covers any transition team information involving Russia or Ukraine.
The memo alerts Mr. Trump’s former transition aides
that “failure to follow these protocols could result in criminal or civil penalties, and could form the basis of legal claims, legal presumptions, or jury instructions relating to spoliation of evidence.”
The document request illustrated the seriousness of the inquiry being conducted by Mr. Mueller
and investigators in Congress, and how deeply they are delving into Mr. Trump’s activities and those of his associates
While the memo does not say so, it is the type of notice
that organizations distribute after receiving a preservation order from the Justice Department — an order that all documents be preserved at the beginning of an inquiry in case investigators someday want to see them.