WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating whether former National Security Adviser Mike Flynn played a role in a private effort to obtain Hillary Clinton's emails from Russian hackers, US media reported.
The alleged effort to contact hackers thought to have stolen Clinton's emails was led by Republican activist Peter W. Smith, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Last year, in the final months of the presidential campaign, Smith made contact with what he said were five groups of hackers, two of which he believed were comprised of Russians, who claimed to have obtained the emails, according to the report.
Mueller's investigators are now looking into whether Flynn was involved in Smith's effort, and if his son, Michael G. Flynn had a role, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.
At the time that Smith was trying to find the emails, Flynn was a senior adviser to the campaign of President Donald Trump.
Mueller is heading an investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, as well as any possible collusion between Moscow and the Trump campaign.
Russia has repeatedly denied interfering in the US election, and Trump has rejected accusations of collusion, calling Mueller's probe a "witch hunt."
