Who's who in the Russia investigation?

Numerous people are now somehow connected to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and connections between Trump associates and the Russian government. They range from Congressmen to White House aides to Russian diplomats and Justice Department officials.

Here are 21 people currently involved in the investigation into the Russia matter -- including President Donald Trump -- and how they all fit into the big picture.

Jared Kushner

• Trump son-in-law and senior adviser to President Trump
• Kushner, 36, is the husband of Ivanka Trump
• In 2008, he became CEO of Kushner Companies, a real estate business founded by his father, after the elder Kushner was sentenced to prison for tax evasion and other charges by then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie
• Along with campaign adviser Michael Flynn, Kushner met with Russian Envoy Sergey Kislyak on Dec. 2, 2016, during the presidential transition. He discussed setting up a "back channel" to Kremlin, a story first reported by the Washington Post and confirmed by CBS News
• The conversations between Kushner and Kislyak were intercepted by American intelligence
• Kushner urged Mr. Trump to fire FBI Director James Comey
• On Tuesday, Mr. Trump retweeted a Fox News story that cited an unnamed source in saying that Kushner and Kislyak's conversation "focused on Syria"
• Met with Russian banker Sergey Gorkov, another meeting that has attracted scrutiny. The New York Times reports that investigators want to know more about his motives for meeting with Gorkov, who heads the sanctioned Russian bank VEB and is close to Vladimir Putin
• Despite his family ties to Mr. Trump, there is a growing sense in the White House that Kushner is now "vulnerable" due to a recent spate of negative stories about him

Michael Flynn

• President Trump's former National Security Adviser
• Spoke on the phone with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak about sanctions against Russia before Mr. Trump took office
• Was paid over $30,000 for attending and speaking at event organized by Russian media outlet RT, and received tens of thousands of dollars from entities with Russian ties during the 2016 campaign when he acted as a Trump surrogate
• Flynn resigned from his White House position after 'misleading' Vice President Pence and not disclosing discussions with Russia
• Flynn invoked the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination and did not initially comply with a Senate subpoena seeking documents on Russian interference

Paul Manafort

• Former Trump campaign chairman
• Citing three current and former U.S officials, The New York Times reported that Manafort used to lobby for deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich's political party
• CBS News confirmed that a secret, handwritten ledger earmarking billions of dollars in undisclosed cash that were allegedly given out by Yanukovych's party exists. Manafort's name appeared in the ledger 12 times, for a sum of $12.7 million between 2007 and 2012.
• Manafort resigned from the Trump campaign after mounting pressure and scrutiny over his ties to pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine
• Manafort then took steps to register as a foreign agent with the federal government
• Manafort sent documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee related to the Russian meddling investigations, and sources familiar with Manafort's thinking say he will volunteer to be interviewed

Carter Page

• Former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser
• Page visited Moscow in July 2016 for a speech at the New Economic School where he criticized the U.S.
• Page spoke with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak at an event on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention along with then-Senator Jeff Sessions
• The Washington Post reported that FBI officials obtained a secret court order during the campaign to monitor Page's communications because the government had reason to believe Page was acting as a Russian agent, including contacts Page had with Russian intelligence operatives in 2013
• Page informed Congressional committee members that he is willing to testify before lawmakers about his knowledge of any Russian interference, but only in the form of an open hearing

Sergey Kislyak

• Became Russian Ambassador to the U.S. in 2008, and before that, worked as ambassador to NATO from 1998 to 2003 and deputy foreign minister from 2003 to 2008
• Met multiple times with President Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn, discussing sanctions placed on Russia by the Obama administration in December
• Kislyak met privately with President Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, along with Tillerson's counterpart, Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, at the White House on May 11, and only Russian state-run media was permitted when Mr. Trump reportedly shared classified intelligence
• Kislyak had undisclosed meetings with Mr. Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, where Kushner reportedly asked to establish a back-channel communication between Russia and the White House

Sergey Gorkov

• Considered one of Putin's associates, but he has not played a distinct diplomatic role in the past
• Currently, he heads Russian development bank Vnesheconombank (VEB), which was sanctioned by the Obama administration after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, and formerly he worked for Russian businesses such as Menatep Bank, Yukos Oil Company, and Sberbank of Russia
• Gorkov studied law at the Academy of the Federal Security Service (FSB), a Russian spy agency, in the early '90s and studied finance in the early 2000's at Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics
• He reportedly met Jared Kushner in December 2016 after Sergey Kislyak requested the engagement, and according to White House spokesperson Hope Hicks, it lasted around 30 minutes and ended with Gorkov requesting continued open dialogue

Donald Trump

• A New York real estate-mogul-turned-president, who won the 2016 race with approximately 56.88 percent of the electoral vote, while losing the popular vote
• Fired Acting U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates, who warned the White House that Michael Flynn could be compromised by Russia and was lying to the Vice President; U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara, who was leading its own investigations into possible ties to Russia and alleged wiretapping of Trump Tower; FBI Director James Comey, who led a probe into any communications between the Trump team and Russian officials
• Mr. Trump has called the several ongoing investigations into this campaign, transition and White House team's alleged ties to Russia a "witch hunt" and an "excuse for [a] big election loss"

Robert Mueller

• Served as FBI director under Presidents George W. Bush and Obama from 2001 until 2013 before James Comey took over
• Appointed by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in mid-May to serve as special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election
• Mueller had been serving as a partner at law firm WilmerHale, which reportedly represents Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort
• Mueller stood with Comey, the deputy attorney general in 2004, after he threatened to resign when the White House overruled the Justice Department finding that wiretapping without a court order was unconstitutional
• Mueller advised graduates at his granddaughter's college preparatory school Monday, "Whatever we do, we must act with honesty and with integrity. And regardless of your chosen career, you are only as good as your word. You can be smart, aggressive, articulate and be persuasive, but if you are not honest, your reputation will suffer and once lost, a good reputation can never be regained"

James Comey

• Served as FBI director from 2013 until 2017 under Presidents Obama and Trump until Mr. Trump abruptly fired him from his post in early May
• Mr. Trump has said that he fired Comey after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein recommended his removal, but he has contradicted that claim multiple times. Just a few days after the dismissal, Mr. Trump told NBC News that he thought of the "made up" story about ties between Russia and himself when he fired Comey. And in an Oval Office meeting with top Russian officials, Mr. Trump called Comey a "real nut job" whose firing relieved "great pressure" on him
• After he was terminated, it became known that Mr. Trump had asked Comey to pledge loyalty to him, a request Comey turned down. Mr. Trump has denied that report
• Comey has agreed to testify in an open hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which has not yet been scheduled. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office is now involved in determining the scope of what Comey would be discussing in his testimony

Richard Burr

• Serves as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, a position he took in January 2015
• Burr has invited James Comey to testify about his dismissal as FBI director several times. He and his Democratic counterpart, Mark Warner, said that Comey has agreed to testify after the Memorial Day recess, though a date hasn't been set yet
• Burr and Warner have been praised for working closely together on a bipartisan basis in their panel's investigation of Russian interference in the election
• The Intelligence Committee has issued two new subpoenas for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn after he invoked his Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate himself. The panel also recently received documents from Mr. Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort related to the Russia probe

Mark Warner

• Serves as the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which he has since January
• After Mr. Trump fired James Comey as FBI director in early May, Warner and Burr met with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and pledged to continue their investigation into Russian meddling in the election
• During a hearing on worldwide threats after Comey was fired, Warner said that it's hard to avoid the conclusion that Comey's firing was related to the Russian probe, and he said "that is truly unacceptable." Warner said that Comey was leading an active counterintelligence investigation into any links between the Trump campaign and Russian officials and any coordination between the two to interfere with the 2016 election

Jeff Sessions

• Was appointed attorney general after having served in the Senate, representing Alabama, from 1997 until earlier this year
• Sessions recused himself in March from investigations involving the Trump campaign, which came after reports that he had spoken to Ambassador Kislyak twice during the presidential campaign
• Despite his recusal, Sessions played a role in the firing of James Comey as FBI director, who was charged with investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Sessions wrote in a letter to Mr. Trump the day Comey was fired, "I have concluded that a fresh start is needed at the leadership of the FBI"
• He has come under fire for not disclosing foreign meetings with dignitaries on his security clearance application

Adam Schiff

• Democratic representative of California's 28th congressional district and the ranking Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, which is conducting its own investigation into potential Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election
• Called for a review of White House senior adviser Jared Kushner's security clearance after reports that Kushner attempted to set up secretive communication channels with Russian officials -- CBS News confirmed the validity of these reports
• Schiff said that the U.S. government needs to "get to the bottom" of Kushner's proposed back channel between the Kremlin and the Trump transition team "to find out whether he was truthful"

Devin Nunes

• Republican representative of California's 22nd congressional district and Chairman of the House Intelligence committee
• In April, Nunes recused himself from his committee's Russia investigation after reports of secret meetings between the California representative and White House officials surfaced and prompted an investigation by the House Ethics Committee into his own behavior
• In these meetings, it is reported that the Trump administration officials provided intelligence reports containing highly classified information to Nunes
• The House Ethics Committee, a separate organization from the House Intelligence Committee, released a statement that they were investigating the "public allegations that Representative Devin Nunes may have made unauthorized disclosures of classified information"

Michael Conaway

• Republican Representative for Texas's 11th congressional district
• After Nunes recused himself from the House Intelligence Committee's investigation regarding Russian interference in the presidential election, Conaway took over as leader of the investigation

Lindsey Graham

• South Carolina Republican and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on crime and terrorism, which is investigating Russian election meddling
• Known for his aggressive approach to foreign policy and tough-on-crime mentality
• Initially said the FBI needs a "fresh start" after Mr. Trump fired Comey
• As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Graham said the U.S. must "punish Russia" for meddling in the election
• After Rosenstein briefed him on the FBI's Russia probe, Graham said it appears to be a "criminal investigation"
• Has said the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller in may hinder the House and Senate intelligence committee investigations into Russian election meddling

Sheldon Whitehouse

• Rhode Island Democrat and ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on crime and terrorism, which is investigating Russian election meddling
• Said Russia "trolled the FBI pretty good" after a report that the Russians introduced a dubious document influenced the FBI's handling of the Clinton email investigation
• Strongly supported the appointment of Mueller to be special counsel

Jason Chaffetz

• Republican chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee who recently announced he will not be running for reelection in 2018 and is resigning from office next month
• At first, was hesitant to become involved in matters related to any ties between Russia and Trump associates and Comey's firing, but in recent weeks has become more active in those matters
• Asked the Department of Justice's inspector general to expand its ongoing investigation into the FBI's handling of the Clinton email probe to also include the decision to fire Comey
• Requested memos Comey reportedly wrote describing how Mr. Trump asked him to end the Russia investigation -- but the FBI rejected that request
• Has invited Comey to testify before the oversight panel

Elijah Cummings

• As the ranking Democratic member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Cummings pushed for tougher oversight of Mr. Trump and any ties between Russia and Trump associates earlier than Chaffetz did
• Has said the White House is "stonewalling" the FBI's investigation into Trump associates' alleged ties to Russia and has called for an independent commission -- arguably stronger than a special counsel -- to investigate any ties between Mr. Trump or his associates and Russia
• Has called the Russia probe a "fight for the soul of our democracy"

Don McGahn

• White House Counsel for President Trump and a former commissioner of the Federal Election Commission
• Met with then-acting attorney general Sally Yates in January to discuss her belief that Michael Flynn was misleading White House officials about the nature of his discussions with Russian diplomats
• Has instructed White House aides to preserve emails and other materials that could be connected to various probes regarding Russian interference

Sally Yates

• Before joining the Department of Justice, Yates spent around 20 years as a federal prosecutor in her home state of Georgia, most notably working white-collar crime cases, many in Atlanta
• Was fired by President Trump as acting attorney general when she refused to defend the president's first executive order travel ban
• In testimony before the Senate on May 8, Yates said she believed Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn was compromised by Russia
• Informed the White House in January through White House counsel Don McGahn that Flynn had been compromised and was lying to Vice President Pence about his previous contacts with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak