The Federal Bureau of Investigation spent years attempting to flip Russian oligarchs, The New York Times reported Saturday.
Two of the leaders of the secret program were top Department of Justice official Bruce Ohr and former British spy Christopher Steele, both of whom have been repeatedly attacked by President Donald Trump.
One of the Russians targeted in the program was Oleg Deripaska, who is known as "Putin's Oligarch" for his relationship with Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin.
Ohr first began discussing Deripaska during a Nov. 21, 2014 meeting in Washington, DC.
The Department of State helped facilitate meetings for the secret program by allowing Deripaska to visit the United States on a diplomatic passport in 2015 and 2016.
Convicted felon and former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was also mentioned in the report.
In 2017, Ohr reportedly asked Deripaska to "give up Manafort."
Deripaska has claimed that he would speak to the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, though whether he would do so absent an immunity deal has been in dispute.
