E-mails: Trump jr embraced help said to be from Kremlin

DONALD Trump jr eagerly accepted help from what was described to him as a Russian government effort to aid his father’s campaign with damaging information about Hillary Clinton, according to e-mails he released publicly yesterday.

Trump jr, who was deeply involved in his father’s presidential campaign, released the e-mails along with a statement describing the disclosure as an effort “to be totally transparent.”

The e-mails with publicist Rob Goldstone show that Trump jr was told that the Russian government had information that could “incriminate” Clinton and her dealings with Russia.

The messages were the latest disclosure to roil the ongoing investigation into potential co-ordination between Trump’s campaign and Russia, which US intelligence agencies have said sought to influence the outcome of the election in Trump’s favour.

As congressional committees and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, investigate, the e-mails will almost certainly be reviewed for any signs of potential campaign collusion with the Kremlin, which the White House has repeatedly denied. – AP

• The US Senate’s intelligence committee is seeking documents from Trump jr and intends to call on him to testify before lawmakers, a Senate source told Reuters yesterday after Trump jr released the e-mail chain.