with russia a week or so before the inauguration. what would be the problem with that? step back a minute. the types of things they are interested in is any time you see an evolution in accounts of critical meetings and incidents as it appears from the public reporting, all i have to go on, that is going to be interested in the evolving explanation wanting to know what s motivating the changes and story, and so two principles in play. one is there s one government at a time, so even the incoming administration normally does not conduct meetings, substantive meetings with foreign counter parts and other governments, so that you send a signal it s one government at a time. if this was not a business networking meeting, as one account would have it, but really an effort to set up a back channel for substantive discussions with the kremlin, then investigators want to understand why is that the case?