Donald Trump has deep ties to Russia

A whirlwind of news on Monday strongly suggests that Donald Trump has deep ties to Russia. Or that there’s no evidence of a link between the GOP nominee and the Russian government. 

The contradictory reports do make clear that Justice Department officials have been investigating Trump and his associates to see whether they have ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin or Russian banks.

What they have found, according to The New York Times, is no smoking gun. Though Trump has said Putin “likes” him and has praised the Russian president as “a leader far more than our president has been,” it’s unclear whether their relationship goes further.  

For example, the hacking of the Democratic National Committee and the email account of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, may be acts of political sabotage aimed at disrupting the U.S. election ― and not intended to boost Trump, according to the Times. (The report didn’t explain why an attempt by Russia to undermine American democracy would only involve targeting one party.)

Trump has asserted that he doesn’t “know Putin” and is “no puppet” of the Russian president. The Times story says investigators have found no strings by which he’s being directed.

But other news published on Monday raises questions, and underscores a Trump coziness with Russia that is unconventional for a modern presidential candidate during a time of heightened tension between the superpowers.