US officials see no link between Trump and Russia: report

Amid multiple reports drawing different connections between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia Monday night, The New York Times reported that FBI officials’ investigations of the GOP presidential nominee have yet to confirm any ties.  

FBI officials said their investigations have yet to find a connection between the GOP presidential nominee and Russia.

{mosads}The bureau has been investigating the Russian government’s role in the U.S. presidential election. But the FBI believes that the country was likely trying to disrupt the overall race and not trying boost Trump’s chance of getting elected.

The Monday night report comes after CNBC reported earlier in the day that FBI Director James Comey argued against accusing Russia of interfering in the election due to the timing and because he did not want the accusation against Russia to come from his agency.

And Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) alleged earlier in the day that the FBI has “explosive information” about a connection, suggesting federal investigators have “explosive information about close ties and coordination between Donald Trump, his top advisors and the Russian government” and must make it public.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and critics have criticized Trump for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Trump has pushed back, saying he has “nothing to do” with Russia and doesn’t know Putin.

The conclusions also come amid a report from Slate that an unnamed computer scientist found a connection between a Trump organization server and two servers registered to a Moscow bank. 

The FBI is also reportedly looking into former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort’s foreign business and political dealings, according to NBC.

FBI officials declined to comment for the Times story, but intelligence officials have said in interviews over the past several weeks that apparent connections between Trump aides and Moscow motivated them to open a larger investigation.

So far, no evidence that has surfaced that Trump has any links to Russia.