More than a dozen Trump associates had contact with Russia before inauguration

The Washington Post on Sunday published a stunning analysis on the interactions between members of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia citizens, including those who offered to help is nomination and bolster his real estate business.

“Repeatedly, Russian nationals suggested Trump should hold a peacemaking sit-down with Vladi­mir Putin — and offered to broker such a summit,” the Post reports.

Michael McFaul, a former ambassador to Russia, called the interactions “extremely unusual.”

“Both the number of contacts and the nature of the contacts are extraordinary,” McFaul said.

The communications reveal a “sustained effort by the Russian government to interfere with the U.S. presidential election,” according to prosecutors who are working on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Those interactions were likewise verified by a top Kremlin official in 2016, who told the Interfax news agency that “a whole array of [Trump associates] supported contacts with Russian representatives.”

Read the full report at the Washington Post.