WASHINGTON, DC — American intelligence discovered evidence that Russian officials discussed using some of then-candidate Trump's advisers, including Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort, to influence him into adopting pro-Russia positions, according to a New York Times report. The story cites three current and former American officials who knew of the intelligence.

Both Flynn and Manafort have ties to Russia, as is publicly known. Flynn became national security adviser under Trump, but was forced to resign after it emerged that he misled the vice president about his contacts with the Russian ambassador. Similarly, Manafort resigned from his position as Trump's campaign manager in August 2016 after another New York Times story reported that he had received millions of dollars in undisclosed payments from a pro-Russia Ukrainian political party. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch for daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

According to Wednesday's report, the discussions about leveraging Trump's relationship with the men were part of the impetus for the federal investigation into potential collusion between the campaign and Russian espionage operations, which former FBI Director James Comey has confirmed began during the summer. Multiple reports also suggest that there was significant contact between Trump aides and Russian officials during the campaign.