OnPolitics Today: Mueller hits Trump Organization, crossing what Trump called 'a red line'

with Josh Hafner

Special counsel Robert Mueller on Capitol Hill, Washington,

President Trump, in a New York Times interview last summer, said special counsel Robert Mueller would cross "a red line" if he ever looked into his family's finances. And on Thursday, we learned Mueller decided to do just that, formally demanding documents from the Trump Organization as part of his wide-ranging Russia investigation.

Also on Thursday: The U.S. slapped soft sanctions on Russia, while a report claimed Trump made up facts to Canada's Justin Trudeau.

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Mueller to Trump's business: Give us what you've got

Mueller's subpoena for records from Trump's firm is the first acknowledged demand for such a request. While his investigation aims to find whether Russia interfered in America's election (and whether Trump's campaign was involved), Mueller's team also wants to know whether Trump tried to upend the inquiry by firing FBI Director James Comey last year. Sources declined to elaborate on just what Mueller wants to know from Trump's org, but the New York Times, which broke the story, said investigators spoke of a possible Trump real estate deal in Russia.

Also Russia related: Trump slaps on sanctions for bad behavior

Trump's administration sanctioned several Russian organizations on Thursday for unsavory behavior, including attempts to alter the 2016 presidential election. The sanctions, though, are largely symbolic: A third or so existed under the Obama administration, and the individual-level sanctions likely won't hurt Russia's economy. Among the repeats are Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch known as "Putin's chef."

Here's Trump admitting he made up facts in a tape given to the Washington Post:

"Trudeau came to see me. He's a good guy, Justin. He said, 'No, no, we have no trade deficit with you, we have none. Donald, please,'" Trump said of Canada's prime minister, per audio obtained by the Post of a private event in Missouri on Wednesday. "... I said, 'Wrong, Justin, you do.' I didn't even know. ... I had no idea. I just said, 'You're wrong.' You know why? Because we're so stupid."

For the record: The U.S. had a $12 billion trade surplus with Canada in 2016, according to one Trump appointee's trade office. The administration later argued its own statistic was incomplete.

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