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As the number of documented contacts between Trump campaign aides and Russian officials grows, congressional investigators are increasingly looking at the events that occurred around those meetings to determine if they provide evidence of a Russian influence campaign.

Whether there was any collusion there is of keen interest to our committee, said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. This could all be coincidence or could be collusion.

Trump has continually denied lingering allegations that associates of his campaign had been in contact with the Russians. In a Feb. 16 news conference, Trump underlined previous denials, saying, "I have nothing to do with Russia. I told you, I have no deals there, I have no anything," and said that "the news is fake."

Senior Republican leaders in Washington have said they remain unconvinced the timeline points to anything out of the ordinary.

We have seen no evidence from any of these ongoing investigations that anybody in the trump campaign or the trump team was involved in any of this, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) told ABC Newss Mary Bruce. We've been presented with no evidence that an American was colluding with the Russians to meddle in the election.

A key period that is gaining interest from investigators is July 2016, as the Republican National Convention got underway in Cleveland. On July 18, party insiders took the unusual step of altering the official GOP platform by watering down its position on the use of force to protect the Ukraine from Russian incursions.

The champagne corks were going off when that happened, said Paul Joyal, a Russian intelligence expert and managing director of National Strategies.

Two days later, on July 20, the Russian Ambassador to the United States surfaced in Cleveland, meeting at different points with then-Senator Sessions (R-AL) who served as a campaign advisor and now as Trump's Attorney General and with a one-time Trump foreign policy adviser named Carter Page. Page later denied any meeting had occurred, telling PBS Newshour, I had no meetings. No meetings.

That same week, on July 22, WikiLeaks posted the first of the hacked Democratic party e-mails.

July seems to be a key month, Schiff told ABC News.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) told ABC News he considered that month to be a turning point. He said investigators are likely to explore how hackers changed their approach to releasing stolen material.

The selective leaking of that information in a way that was I think initially just to throw chaos into the election but increasingly about mid-summer switched from let's just throw chaos into let's favor Mr. Trump at the expense of Hillary Clinton, Warner told ABC News.

He specifically noted the timing of leaks revealing Clinton campaign chairman John Podestas emails. The first of those leaks occurred just hours after Trump had suffered a public relations blow from the release of embarrassing hot mic recordings of Trump on the Access Hollywood entertainment program in 2005.

That was more than coincidence, Warner said.

Schiff cautioned that it remains far too soon to draw any conclusions.

I see as my responsibility is to follow the facts wherever they lead, Schiff said.

ABC News' Cho Park, Alex Hosenball and Paul Blake contributed to this report.

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Democrats plumb election timeline for Trump-Russia clues - ABC News

Amid growing calls from Democrats for an investigation into the Trump administration 's ties to Russia , the President tweeted an old photo of Chuck Schumer with Vladimir Putin and called the top Senate Democrat a "hypocrite."

"We should start an immediate investigation into @ SenSchumer and his ties to Russia and Putin. A total hypocrite!" Trump tweeted Friday afternoon, with an accompanying photo of Schumer and the Russian president eating doughnuts together.

The photo is from Putin's 2003 trip to New York for the opening of a Russian gas companys station, The Hill reports .

Schumer fired back on Twitter, writing, "Happily talk re: my contact w Mr. Putin & his associates, took place in '03 in full view of press & public under oath. Would you &your team?"

The online spat comes after revelations that Attorney General Jeff Sessions met with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. twice in 2016, which he did not disclose during his confirmation hearing. Sessions said Thursday he would recuse himself from any investigations into the Trump campaign, but he denies any wrongdoing in meeting with Russia. Still, the disclosure fanned the fire under Schumer and other Democrats calling for an independent probe into Trump's relationship with Russia.

"We have an obligation to get to the truth," Schumer said in a press conference Thursday calling for an independent prosecutor to conduct an investigation. "We must evaluate the scope of Russia's interference in our elections and assess if agents of their government have penetrated to the highest level of our government. Nothing less than the sanctity of our dear democratic process, the primacy of rule of law, and the integrity of our executive branch is at stake."

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President Trump Hits Back at Democrats With Photo of Chuck Schumer and Vladimir Putin - TIME

The face of populism: Getty

We have just witnessed the incredible spectacle of a vile right-wing celebrity being elected President of the United States. There is a right lessonand a wrong one!for Democrats to take from this.

The Democratic party is in the process of deciding whether it will be the primary home of The Resistance, or its normal bumbling, triangulating mess. Hard choice! On one hand, there are millions and millions of Americans angry at our incipient slide into white nationalism and looking for a place to direct their newfound political energy; on the other hand, when you talk to Bill Clinton, he really makes you feel like youre the only in the whole room.

There are a million small, technical things that establishment Democrats can, if they so choose, blame their election loss on: the media, James Comey, a weak ground game in Midwestern states, etcetera. This impulse to attribute the loss to small things that can be changed relatively easy is a powerful one, because it absolves the party as a whole from scrutiny. In this scenario, its not that the Democratic party is moribund and out of touch and the object of legitimate scorn from many voters whose lives have not improved for decades; its just that [MINOR TACTICAL THING].

If this is ultimately the lesson the party takes from this election, it is a missed opportunity. There is a reason why two anti-establishment outsiders, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, did far better than expected: because people are mad that our political system is broken. We have a democracy that has been proven to operate like an oligarchy, favoring the interests of wealthy and powerfuland, consequently, we have a dying middle class and decades of rising inequality. Yes, the policies of the Republicans are to blame for a good deal of this. But the Democrats are supposed to be the party that stopped all this from happening. They failed. In many instances, they were complicit. There is no arguing with the fact that the establishment is what got us to where we are today. That is why the Democrats must change. And that change must be a leftward push towards economic equality, social equality, and, most importantly, towards building a democracy that functions in the way that democracies shouldby distributing power to everyone, not letting it be controlled by the few.

This is what the Democratic party should have taken away from their devastating election loss. But of course, there is no guarantee that they did. If the Democrats are able to blame their loss on small, controllable tactical errors, they are then free to conclude that their path to victory lies in more of the same. This mindstatewhich allows the establishment to just continue doing what it doeswas powerful enough to defeat Keith Ellisons bid to lead the DNC. The establishment did not get to where they are by accident.

Nothing embodies this Democratic tendency to run away from left wing populism at top speed better than its worshipful embrace of political celebrity. We are already hearing the terrifying whispers. Chelsea Clinton may run for office (perhaps against Caroline Kennedy?). Perhaps Hillary Clinton will make a run for New York City mayor. Andrew Cuomo is exploring a 2020 presidential bid. John Kerry wont rule out another run, either. And hey, political celebs not big enough for you? Maybe the Democrats will run Mark Cuban! Or George Clooney! Or Oprah!!!

Do you know why so many people are unenthusiastic about the Democratic party? Because the Democrats dont fucking do what theyre supposed to do. They are supposed to be the party of the oppressed. They are supposed to fight for the little guy. They are supposed to represent the poor, and the downtrodden, and the marginalized. Instead, they fawn over political dynasties and search madly for our own rich and famous people to counteract the rich and famous people of the other side. They are supposed to be opening doors for people who have never had the chance to be rich, or famous; instead, they are busy creating their own team of celebrities and billionairesbut ours are nice.

That is what the other side does. We are actually against that, you see. We are not supposed to copying that.

Bernie Sanders and Pope Francis were both shocks to their respective institutions, because they both at least tried to make those institutions act in accordance with their stated values. But it is hard to make the church give up its golden chalices, and it is hard to make the Democrats give up the Clintons and the Kennedys. Speaking as one of the (majority of) Americans who would not care to see our country slide into fascism, I would like to urge the Democratic establishment to think about why you are where you are. Not to meet Oprah, nor to be introduced to the infinite network of insider connections. You are there to help people who need help.

If necessary, we can spend the next four years prying the hands of celebrity Democrats off of the levers of power, but thats not the most efficient use of time. It would be better for everyone if they politely wrote the checks and fucked off. Clintonistas and zillionaire politico-tourists and Hollywood stars: be good soldiers, and hold the door open for people who actually care about issues on your way out.

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Celebrity Democrats Fuck Off - Deadspin

NBCNews.com

Key Republicans Ask Jeff Sessions to Recuse Himself in Russia Case New York Times WASHINGTON Congressional Republicans began breaking ranks on Thursday to join Democrats in demanding that Attorney General Jeff Sessions recuse himself from overseeing an investigation into contacts between the Trump campaign and the ... Republicans turn up heat on SessionsCNN Democrats Demand Attorney General Jeff Sessions Resign Over Russian MeetingsNBCNews.com White House defends Sessions as Dems seek resignation over Russia revelationFox News Reuters -AL.com -TheBlaze.com -Washington Post all 1,480 news articles »

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Key Republicans Ask Jeff Sessions to Recuse Himself in Russia Case - New York Times

As political activists aroundthe nation watched Democrats bicker in Atlanta last weekend over who should take the partyshelm, alessnoticed drama got underway in the nearby suburbs, one that ultimately may signal whether the party canemergefrom its funk.

Georgia Democrats, who have been getting creamed for years in the towns stretching north of Atlanta, believe they are within striking distance in a special election that will choose a replacement for Tom Price, the former member of Congress tasked by President Trumpwith dismantling Obamacare as his Health and Human Services secretary. Voter distaste for Trump, the evolution of the new Sunbelt suburban electorate and a 30-year-old candidate who has become an unlikely magnet for out-of-state political cash are giving Democrats a welcome sliver of hope.

The special election in Georgias 6th Congressional District, with its first round in April, has become a big, early test of how effectively Democrats can channel the surge of protest and anger against Trump and replacesome red on the electoral map with blue.

A strong showing would support the growing narrative that Trumps controversial nature and governing style is creating problems for down-ballot Republicans, said veteran elections analyst Stuart Rothenberg. By strong showing, he doesnt necessarily mean a win. Even a close race in this longtimeGOP stronghold would galvanize Democrats nationally.

This is the same well-to-do, majority-white region outside Atlanta that sent Newt Gingrich to Congress in the 1990s, a regionwhere voters have long andenthusiastically cast ballots for GOP presidential nominees. But they were not wild about Trump, who won the district in November by fewer than2 points.

Trumps struggle herewas indicative of a broader problem in suburban areas nationwide as well asa slow shift leftward for Georgia,driven by its suburbs. Hillary Clinton and the national Democratic Party did not invest in trying to win the state in the presidential race, but they ended up performing better there than in the longtime swing state of Ohio.

Now, the party is homingin on southern and westernsuburban congressional districts like the one Price is vacating as they draft blueprints for the future. The 23 congressional districts that voted for Clinton but also elected a Republican to the House include suburbs of Atlanta, Houston andCaliforniasOrange County,whichspansfour such districts.

In Georgia, the eagerness to notch a win and show some momentum is spawning unexpected alliances among Democrats.

Legions of liberals who read the Daily Kos blog have enthusiastically heeded the call of digitalactivism and sentdollars to Jon Ossoff, a clean-cut, even-tempered, politically centered neophyte who hardly resembles the Bernie Sanders-types the onlinecrowd tends to back. Some 55,000 peoplehave contributed through the blog, netting Ossoff nearly $1 million in a few weeks. Thats more than double the rate at whichDaily Kos donors gave to Elizabeth Warren when she ran for the Senate in 2012.

The national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also is investing, with nine of its operatives in the district quarterbacking get-out-the-vote efforts. Some national celebrities are involved. In addition to the Daily Kos money, Ossoff says he has raised roughly $1 million more elsewhere.

No Democrat in the Georgia district has ever had such a war chest.

What progressives want right now are Democrats who will oppose Trump, David Nir, political director at Daily Kos, said in an email. Ossoff made it clear in his campaign kickoff that Trump has to be stopped, and thats what matters to us.

Ossoff doesnt linger too long on that point, though. A former Capitol Hill staffer and maker of documentaries about international corruption, Ossoff emerged as a national star of the race when he was endorsed by Rep. John Lewis of Atlanta, a hero of the civil rights movement. But his style has little resemblance tothat of his fiery mentor. Ossoff chooses his words carefully and seems to prefer opining on the prospects for local economic growth than notions that Trump will trigger the apocalypse.

I am reaching out to voters across the spectrum, humbly and with respect, offering local solutions, he said during a phone interview after a weekend canvassing event in Roswell attracted 200 volunteers.

The many prominent Republicans vying for the seat in the April 18nonpartisan open primary already have hurled charges of carpetbagging against Ossoff, a native of the district. It doesnt help that he currently lives just outside of it, in an apartment near the hospital where his girlfriend works. A cringeworthy video of Ossoff at what appears to be a Georgetown frat party, dressed as Han Solo and childishly jumping around and talking of beer kegs, has been posted by a super PAC on YouTube. The message Not Ready scrolls across the screen at one point.

Ossoff has been clear that he reviles Trump. But he said pounding on him every second of the race is not a winning strategy in this district. The contrast is clear, he said.I dont need to say the mans name every third word.

Democrats funding him nationally out of their anger with Trump are OK with his approach. They just want the win.

Republicans in the Georgia district have a lot more to lose. Their leading candidate is one of the states highest-profile conservatives, former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel, who earlier in her career, as an executive at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity for breast cancer,played a major role inthe organizations decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood.

Amid the backlash that followed, Handel resigned and became a favorite on the right.

The top two finishersin the primary, regardless of party, will advance to a runoff in June.Even if Handel or one of the other Republicans ultimatelywins, a thin margin would offera bad sign for the GOPin a district where Price consistently won around 60% of the vote.

Back in Washington, Democratic operatives are looking at the district as a laboratory. It offers an opportunity to closely examine how aswing voting bloc is responding to Trumpand what strategies might work in similar districts elsewhere.

This race is going to be instructive for the Democratic Party moving into the future, said Rebecca DeHart, executive director of the Georgia Democratic Party. It is states like this where the Democratic Party is going to be reborn. The horizon is nothing but blue.

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Democrats see a path to salvation in the Sunbelt and Newt Gingrich's backyard - Los Angeles Times