TRUMP JR. WAS TOLD RUSSIA GOVERNMENT HAD INFO: REPORT
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr. received an email informing him that a Kremlin- connected lawyer wanted to meet with him last year as part of an effort by the Russian government to help his father’s presidential campaign, the New York Times reported Monday.
Three people with knowledge of the email told the Times it was sent by Rob Goldstone, a publicist who helped arrange the meeting last June. They told the newspaper that the email indicated that the lawyer had damaging information about Hillary Clinton that came from the Russian government.
Donald Trump Jr. admitted he agreed to the meeting because he was told the lawyer had negative information about his father’s Democratic rival, but the president’s son did not suggest he knew of any connection to the Kremlin.
Donald Trump Jr.’ s lawyer, Alan Futerfas, called the revelation “much ado about nothing.”
“During this busy period, Robert Goldstone contacted Don Jr. in an email and suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front- runner, Hillary Clinton, in her dealings with Russia,” Futerfas told the New York Times. “Don Jr.’ s takeaway from this communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr. had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed.”
A meeting between President Donald Trump’s eldest son and the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, occurred at the behest of a Moscow- based singer with family ties to Trump’s businesses, according to a participant in the talks.
The circumstances surrounding the meeting fueled new questions about the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia, which are being scrutinized by federal and congressional investigators. Some election law experts said a discussion of potentially damaging information on Clinton could prompt scrutiny from Special Counsel Robert Mueller in light of federal laws barring foreign contributions to campaigns.
Larry Noble, a former general counsel at the Federal Election Commission, said the situation “raises all sorts of red flags.”
“You do not want your campaign to be involved with foreign nationals, period,” said Noble, now senior director at the Campaign Legal Center.
On Monday, Trump Jr. tried to brush off the significance of the meeting, tweeting sarcastically, “Obviously I’m the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent . . . went nowhere but had to listen.”
Hours later, Futerfas said he had been retained by Trump Jr., who said on Twitter he was willing to work with the Senate intelligence committee, one of the panels probing possible campaign collusion, “to pass on what I know.”
The president’s son said the meeting was arranged by an acquaintance he knew through the 2013Miss Universe pageant Trump held in Moscow.
Trump Jr. didn’t name the acquaintance, but in an interview with The Associated Press, Goldstone confirmed he set up the meeting on behalf of his client, Russian singer Emin Agalarov.
Goldstone said Veselnitskaya stated she had information about purported illegal campaign contributions to the Democratic National Committee. Goldstone said Trump Jr. agreed to squeeze the meeting into a tight schedule.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Monday the Kremlin doesn’t know Veselnitskaya and “cannot keep track” of every Russian lawyer who holds meetings in Russia or abroad.