The New York Times has reported that Kremlin-connected Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska has agreed to cooperate with U.S. congressional committees investigating possible connections between Russian agents and the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.
The daily, citing three unnamed congressional sources, reported on May 27 that Deripaska offered complete cooperation in exchange for a grant of full immunity from prosecution but that the offer had been rejected. The officials said committee members feared an immunity offer could complicate ongoing federal criminal investigations.
Although Deripaska has not been granted a U.S. visa because of his suspected ties to Russian criminal organizations, he entered the United States eight times between 2011 and 2014 using Russian diplomatic documents.
Earlier this month, Deripaska filed a lawsuit against the AP for a report in March about his purported connections with former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort.
The AP report said that while working for Deripaska, Manafort proposed a plan in 2005 aimed at influencing politics, business dealings, and media coverage across the United States, Europe, and the former Soviet Union in ways that would favor Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In March, U.S. media reported that Manafort had agreed to cooperate with the U.S. House Intelligence Committee in its probe, but he has not yet provided testimony.
