On Dec. 29, 2016, Donald Trump transition team member K. T. McFarland, wrote in an email to a teammate that sanctions announced hours before by President Obama's administration in retaliation for Russian election meddling would discredit Mr. Trump’s victory. She added the sanctions could also make it harder for Mr. Trump to ease tensions with Russia “which has just thrown the U.S.A. election to him.”

A White House lawyer stated Friday that she meant only that Democrats were portraying it that way although that reference doesn't appear in the text of the email. Virginia Democratic Senator Mark Warner said Sunday that McFarland, the former deputy national security adviser, needs to provide testimony to Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller. President Trump nominated McFarland to be the U.S. Ambassador to Singapore.