THE special counsel investigating Moscow’s influence on the US election has subpoenaed the company founded by Donald Trump to turn over documents related to Russia, a report said Thursday, bringing the probe closer to the president.

For the first time since launching his investigation, Robert Mueller had subpoenas delivered to the Trump Organisation in recent weeks ordering it to hand over all documents related to Russia and other issues under investigation, The New York Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter.

The revelation comes as Mr Mueller, who is also examining Moscow’s alleged collusion with the Trump campaign, has appeared to seek to broaden his investigation to include the influence that foreign money may have played on Mr Trump’s political activities.

Mr Mueller has begun probing efforts by Mr Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to get foreign investors beyond Russia to provide financing for his company during the presidential transition, CNN reported last month.

The special counsel has so far indicted 13 Russians for interfering in the 2016 US presidential race, and six other people including four former Trump aides or staffers.

Mr Trump has warned Mr Mueller against stepping beyond the original scope of his investigation and zeroing in on the Trump family’s business transactions.

In an interview with The New York Times last July, the president said that the special counsel would be crossing a “red line” if he probed his family’s finances beyond any relationship with Russia.

But he stopped short of saying whether he would seek to fire Mr Mueller for taking such action.

Asked for comment on the development, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said: “We are going to continue to co-operate” with Mueller’s investigation.