As investigations into Russia's involvement in last year's election move forward, a new report says members of President Donald Trump's campaign were in contact with Russian intelligence officials during the White House race.
- Report claims Trump team in contact with Russians during campaign
- Conversations discovered through phone records, intercepted calls
- RELATED: Congress calls for investigation into Flynn resignation, Russian ties
The New York Times said the conversations with Russian officials were discovered through phone records and intercepted calls.
The paper said American investigators intercepted the calls as they were collecting evidence that Russia was hacking Democratic Party emails in an effort to disrupt the election.
But intelligence officials interviewed by The Times said they have found no proof that the Trump campaign was cooperating with the Russians.
The Times report comes as members of Congress from both parties are calling for an independent investigation following the resignation of National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
The fake news media is going crazy with their conspiracy theories and blind hatred. @MSNBC & @CNN are unwatchable. @foxandfriends is great!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 15, 2017
At issue are concerns over Flynn's reported discussions about sanctions with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. before Trump took office.
The White House said Trump did not instruct Flynn to discuss sanctions with the ambassador and asked him to step down over trust problems, not for legal reasons.
Trump took to Twitter early Wednesday morning, again lashing out at media outlets over what he considers false and misleading reporting.
Amid the controversy swirling around his administration, Trump is welcoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on Wednesday. Netanyahu is expected to have a warmer relationship with Trump than he had with former President Barack Obama.
But the tone of the meeting is still unclear, since Trump seems to have softened the hard-line stance he had taken on some key issues during the presidential campaign.
One of the biggest concerns facing the two men is the construction of new Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Since taking office, Trump has suggested that the settlements may not be helpful to the Middle East peace process.
Trump is also expected to welcome Florida senator and former presidential candidate Marco Rubio for dinner at the White House on Wednesday night. The president famously referred to Rubio as "Little Marco" throughout the campaign.