It is curious that two Trump nominees apparently sought to conceal their relationship with the Russian government.
This ought to be much easier. Just tell the truth.
Claims by the Republican party that this is laughable are looking laughable. How many reds are in Trump's bed? The denial of connections between Trump's campaign and its surrogates and the Russian government are obviously political.
The question is, how many of Trump's people are connected to Putin and what were they talking to him about? We already know that 16 intelligence agencies believe the Russians tried to influence the election. It's not a big step to suggest that Trump, who has a strange pro-Russian leaning, has some connection to the Russian government.
Let an unbiassed investigation seek out the evidence.