Don Jr. changes his account of meeting lawyer

Washington, July 10: President Donald Trump’s eldest son changed his account over the weekend of a meeting he had with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign, saying on Sunday that the woman told him she had information about Democrat Hillary Clinton.

A statement from Donald Trump Jr. one day earlier made no mention of Ms Clinton. In his initial depiction of the meeting last June, the President’s son said the discussion focused on a disbanded programme that used to allow American adoptions of Russian children.

It appeared that Mr Trump Jr. shifted his account of the meeting after being presented with additional information from The New York Times, which first reported both the discussion and the prospect of negative information about Ms Clinton.

The meeting with Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya is the earliest known private meeting between key aides to the President and a Russian. federal and congressional investigators are probing whether Mr Trump’s campaign coordinated with Russia to meddle in the presidential election, investigations the President has called a “hoax”.

The Times, citing advisers to the White House who were briefed on the discussion, said Trump Jr. agreed to the meeting after being promised damaging information about Ms Clinton.

Mr Trump Jr. said the attorney claimed during the discussion to have information that “individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee” and supporting Ms Clinton. He said his father was unaware of the meeting.