WASHINGTON • President Donald Trump was hit by more embarrassing leaks just as he jetted off to Saudi Arabia on his first foreign trip as US leader, extending the turmoil enveloping the White House.
The Washington Post, citing sources familiar with the matter, said law enforcement investigation into possible coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign has identified a current White House official as a significant person of interest.
It reported that the development shows the probe is reaching into the highest levels of government.
The senior White House adviser under scrutiny by investigators is someone close to the President, according to the sources, who would not further identify the official.
The revelation comes as the investigation also appears to be entering a more overtly active phase, with investigators shifting from work that has remained largely hidden from the public to conducting interviews and using a grand jury to issue subpoenas, according to the newspaper. The intensity of the probe is expected to accelerate in the coming weeks, the people said.
The sources emphasised that investigators remain keenly interested in people who previously wielded influence in the Trump campaign and administration but are no longer part of it, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Mr Flynn resigned in February after disclosures that he had lied to administration officials about his contacts with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak.
Current administration officials who have acknowledged contacts with Russian officials include Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as Attorney-General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
But those familiar with the probe said the intensifying effort does not mean criminal charges are near, or that any such charges will result.
Last Wednesday, Deputy Attorney-General Rod Rosenstein appointed former Federal Bureau of Investigation director Robert Mueller to serve as special counsel and lead the investigation into Russian meddling. It is unclear exactly how Mr Mueller's leadership will affect the direction of the probe.
Separately, the New York Times (NYT) reported that Mr Trump had told Russian officials at a recent White House meeting that firing Mr James Comey as FBI director relieved "great pressure" on him.
"I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job," Mr Trump said, according to the document, which was read to NYT by a US official. "I faced great pressure because of Russia. That's taken off."
He added: "I am not under investigation."
The conversation during the White House meeting on May 10 - the day after he fired Mr Comey - reinforces the notion that Mr Trump dismissed him primarily because of the bureau's investigation into possible collusion between his campaign and Russian operatives.
Mr Trump said as much in one televised interview, but the White House has offered changing justifications for the firing.
The White House document that contained Mr Trump's comments is based on notes taken from inside the Oval Office and has been circulated as the official account of the meeting.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer did not dispute the account. In a statement, he said that Mr Comey had behaved politically and put unnecessary pressure on the President's ability to conduct diplomacy with Russia on matters such as Syria, Ukraine, and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
"By grandstanding and politicising the investigation into Russia's actions, James Comey created unnecessary pressure on our ability to engage and negotiate with Russia," Mr Spicer said.
"The investigation would have always continued, and obviously, the termination of Comey would not have ended it. Once again, the real story is that our national security has been undermined by the leaking of private and highly classified conversations."
The day after firing Mr Comey, Mr Trump hosted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Oval Office, along with Mr Kislyak.
The meeting ignited controversy last week when it was revealed that Mr Trump had disclosed intelligence from an Israeli counter-terrorism operation.
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