“Like two of Mueller’s previous targets, Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates, the lawyer—a man named Alex Van Der Zwaan—had done work for Ukraine’s previous, pro-Russia government, which was overthrown in a popular uprising in 2014.”

GATES/ MANAFORT/ PUTIN/ TRUMP

“And according to the indictment, the false statements in question were about communications he had in 2016 with Rick Gates and an unnamed “Person A” related to that work.”

“So on its surface, Tuesday’s indictment relates solely to a single branch of Mueller’s investigation: Paul Manafort’s dealings with the pro-Russia faction in Ukraine.”

“But search beyond the scant details offered in the two-page indictment and there’s an intriguing link to a whole other branch of Trump-Russia inquiry: the Alfa Bank mystery.”

“As it so happens, Van Der Zwaan, the lawyer indicted Tuesday, is the son-in-law of Russian oligarch German Khan. Khan is a director and co-owner of Alfa Bank and one of three key leaders of its parent company, the sprawling conglomerate Alfa Group.”

“Those of you following along at home will remember Russia’s Alfa Bank popped up prominently in the Steele Dossier—and figured in news reports that the FBI was investigating unexplained connections between the Trump Organization and computer servers owned by the bank.”

“The exact nature of the relationship—if there is one—between Alfa Bank and Trump World, has been unclear. But with Van Der Zwaan, who pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Mueller may have quietly given us a new connection worth noting.”