In new revelations about possible collusion between the Trump campaign and alleged Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election, The New York Times is reporting that U.S. spies heard senior Russian political and intelligence officials discussing ways to use then-Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort and Trump adviser Michael Flynn in order to exert influence over Donald Trump himself. In the alleged conversations last summer, the Russian officials reportedly bragged about their close ties to Michael Flynn, as well as to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who has worked closely with Manafort. It is not known whether Russian officials ever actually tried to influence Manafort or Flynn or, if so, whether they were successful.