On February 21, 2017, the New York City medical examiner’s office announced that Churkin’s autopsy suggested the need for a toxicology test. Trump’s State Department, with Russia’s backing, immediately issued a gag order and prevented public disclosure of the cause and manner of death.40 Churkin had been the fifth Russian diplomat to die unexpectedly and in an unexplained fashion since Trump won the election.41 There has been no follow-up reporting or official investigation of his death, and the documents remain sealed.
