Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump's most trusted advisers, was warned by the FBI that Russian government operatives repeatedly tried to reach her during the presidential transition, according to a report.
Several people familiar with the matter told The New York Times that counterintelligence officers from the bureau sat down with Hicks at the White House at least twice after Trump's inauguration and gave her the names of Russians who had contacted her and urged her to be cautious. The officers also informed Hicks that the Russians might use fake names, according to the sources.
While there's no indication that Hicks did anything wrong or responded to the Russians, the Friday revelation indicates that the Kremlin was intent on establishing a line of communication with Trump advisers even after the U.S. intelligence community concluded that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election.
The FBI first flagged the attempted outreach to Hicks after agents detected emails sent to her from Russian government addresses in the weeks leading up to Trump's election.
Hicks did not immediately return a request for comment from The New York Daily News. The White House declined to comment.
It's not clear what the emails sent to Hicks were about or who sent them.
The 29-year-old adviser was interviewed by investigators working for special prosecutor Robert Mueller on Thursday and Friday and her testimony was expected to garner significant revelations about the early days of the Trump White House.
Some speculate her testimony might prompt additional indictments in Mueller's sweeping probe, which has already produced a laundry list of charges against disgraced national security adviser Michael Flynn, ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former Trump policy adviser George Papadopoulos.
Hicks is Trump's longest-serving political aide and has been with him since the early days of the presidential race, serving as his campaign press secretary. Before the campaign, Hicks worked for the Trump Organization.
