In an investigation unrelated to the most recent report of alleged blackmail materials the Kremlin may have over Donald Trump, three of Trump’s associates are under scrutiny.

Law enforcement and U.S. intelligence agencies have confiscated communications and information on financial transactions between Russia and the three men.

The report, published less than 24 hours before Trump is inaugurated, is reportedly focused on examining the business dealings that some of Trump’s closest confidants and operatives have had in Russia, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, already the subject of an FBI inquiry into his dealings in Russia and Ukraine.

At least two other campaign advisors, Carter Page and Roger Stone, are also being examined, according to The Times report.

At this time, no one is saying, outright, that there is a connection between Trump’s campaign and the confiscated information.

Still, it’s bad optics, especially to have this surface as Trump is about to be inaugurated.

Most of what is being floated sounds like the same questions that came up before the election, with no real effect on the way people viewed the race, but this may set a precedent for the remainder of Trump’s time in office.

The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, the National Security Agency, the CIA and the financial crimes unit of the Treasury Department. But it is unclear whether the intercepted communications had anything to do with Trump or his campaign, the Times noted. It’s also unclear whether it is related to the investigation into hacking of the Democratic National Committee and Russian attempts to interfere with the election.

Manafort told The Times that he has never had any interaction with the Russian government and called the allegations “a Democratic Party dirty trick and completely false.”

And that may be exactly correct. It wouldn’t be above Democrats to turn this into a vendetta, fueled by the sour grapes of a hard fought loss.

Or it may be that Manafort protests too much.

Trump doesn’t do himself any favors when he repeatedly speaks up in defense Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.

Let’s say it together: Russia is not our friend!

Trump may very well have to answer for this, at some point, but for now, the information from the confiscated communications has not been made public and no one is suggesting Trump is tied to this, other than through his campaign associates.