The grand jury convened by special counsel Robert Mueller will have the opportunity to interview witnesses about an associate of former national security adviser Mike Flynn stemming from the federal probe looking into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.
Bijan Kian, an Iranian-American businessman who previously worked at the now-dissolved Flynn Intel Group, has become a target in the investigation. Federal investigators have questioned several witnesses concerning his lobbying work for Turkey, and the grand jury will interview some of those witnesses in the near future, NBC News reported Wednesday
Mueller’s team is investigating Kian’s involvement in a contract that “could be construed to have principally benefited the Republic of Turkey,” necessary paperwork under the Foreign Agents Registration Act filed after the deal revealed. They are also interested in foreign lobbying efforts that may not have been disclosed by Flynn Intel Group.
Additionally, Kian also was present at between with Flynn, who served as an adviser to the Trump campaign, and Russia-friendly Rep. Dana Rohrbacher, R-Calif., emails obtained by Mueller’s team show.
Earlier this month, it was revealed Mueller was investigating the meeting with Rohrabacher in Sept. 2016 that Flynn Intel Group arranged in Washington, D.C. Flynn and his son, along with business partners Kian and Brian McCauley, were all present.
Rohrabacher has been an advocate for better relations with Russia and has met with officials in Moscow to discuss overturning the Magnitsky Act, which froze assets of Russian investigators and prosecutors and prevents them from entering the U.S.
Sources told NBC News that Mueller has enough evidence to pave the way to an indictment in the probe looking at Flynn and his son.
Flynn was removed from his post at the White House earlier this year after it was revealed he misled the administration about his sanctions-related communications with Russians prior to Trump’s inauguration.
