Former Republican strategist Trygve Olson called for an investigation Wednesday after former President Donald Trump made a surprising claim during his debate with Vice President Kamala Harris. Olson, a senior adviser to the anti-Trump conservative group Lincoln Project, expressed alarm over Trump’s statement that he had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving office.
“This needs to be noticed in the post-debate coverage,” Olson urged. “Reporters must ask, ‘When and where did this happen, particularly given the classified documents case?'”
During the debate, Trump defended his stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, boasting that he could resolve the conflict. In the process, he casually mentioned his meeting with Putin: “I saw Putin after I left, unfortunately, left, because our country has gone to hell. I’ll speak to one, I’ll speak to the other.”
This remark raised red flags, as it suggested Trump might be engaging in unauthorized foreign diplomacy, potentially violating the Logan Act, which prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments. However, Olson pointed out that the comment also connects to Trump’s ongoing legal issues surrounding his handling of classified documents.
In 2023, special counsel Jack Smith charged Trump under the Espionage Act, accusing him of hoarding classified materials at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. Investigators discovered sensitive documents stored in unsecured areas, including a ballroom and a bathroom. While the case was dismissed by Florida Federal Judge Aileen Cannon in July, Smith has since appealed the ruling.
Trump’s interactions with foreign leaders have long been a source of concern. That same month, Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán at Mar-a-Lago. This raised questions about Trump’s potential back-channel communications with Russia.
Former national security adviser John Bolton addressed these concerns in an interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta. When Acosta asked if Orbán could be acting as a middleman between Trump and Putin, Bolton responded, “It’s possible…Trump is communicating with him in a lot of different ways. He thinks if he has a good relationship with Vladimir Putin, then U.S./Russia relations are fine.” As Trump’s debate comments about Putin gain attention, calls for further scrutiny of his post-presidency actions continue to grow.