Trump Jr. was ready with ammo

$50,000 was paid to lawyer before details of June 9 meeting emerged

Donald Trump’s campaign paid $50,000 to the law office now representing Donald Trump Jr. a little more than a week before news surfaced of an unreported meeting with a Russian attorney that has prompted new accusations of collusion.

The payment to the law offices of Alan S. Futerfas, dated June 27, was disclosed in a filing with the Federal Election Commission on Saturday. It was described as covering “legal consulting” fees.

Mr Trump Jr. admitted to meeting with a Russian lawyer in New York City during the 2016 presidential campaign after he was told she might have damaging information about his father's rival, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The payment was made to Mr Futerfas’ firm days before the story about the meeting broke, which caused a scramble inside the White House and Trump Tower to contain it.

The disclosures do not say who Mr Futerfas was hired to represent. Spokesmen for Trump’s reelection campaign and Mr Futerfas did not respond to requests for comment. Mr Futerfas was revealed as Mr Trump Jr.’s lawyer on Monday after a New York Times report detailed meetings between the President’s eldest son and the Russian lawyer. Mr Futerfas has not said when he was hired.

Separately, the campaign also paid more than $538,000 to Jones Day, the law firm that represented Trump’s campaign during the election. The campaign also paid $89,561 for “legal consulting” to The Trump Corporation, which is owned by the president. The payment was dated June 30th.

A federal special counsel and congressional panels are probing allegations by intelligence agencies that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential poll, as well as potential connections between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.