The White House’s announcement on Sept. 17 that it would call for the declassification of material related to the launch of the Russia investigation was widely and justifiably understood as the latest iteration of a long-standing goal of President Trump: undercutting the legitimacy of the investigation by casting doubt on the motives of those involved in its launch.
Trump’s Russia ties
Washington Post: Timeline – the birth of the Russia investigation
This general view taken on July 8, shows the Kremlin and Moscow State University in Moscow.