Russian lobbyist in Trump Tower ‘met’ Mueller

A grand jury used by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has heard a secret testimony from a Russian-American lobbyist who attended a June 2016 meeting with President Donald Trump’s eldest son, the Associated Press has learned.

A person familiar with the matter confirmed to AP that Rinat Akhmetshin had appeared before Mr Mueller’s grand jury in recent weeks. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secret proceedings.

The revelation is the clearest indication yet that Mr Mueller and his team of investigators view the meeting, which came weeks after Mr Trump had secured the Republican

Rinat Akhmetshin had appeared before special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s grand jury. He attended a June 2016 meeting with President Donald Trump’s eldest son and his son-in-law Jared Kushner

presidential nomination as a relevant inquiry point in their broader probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The meeting included Donald Trump Jr., the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Emails released by Mr Trump Jr. show he took the meeting expecting that he would be receiving damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of what was described to him as a Russian government effort to aid the Trump campaign.

The Financial Times first reported Mr Akhmetshin’s grand jury appearance. Reached by the AP, Mr Akhmetshin declined comment. Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mr Mueller, also declined comment on Wednesday .

The confirmation of Mr Akhmetshin’s grand jury testimony comes after he spoke at length about his involvement in the Trump Tower meeting in an interview with the AP last month. Mr Akhmetshin, a former Soviet military officer who served in a counterintelligence unit, is also a well-known Washington lobbyist. Moscow, Aug. 31: The Kremlin on Wednesday confirmed that President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer reached out to them during the 2016 presidential campaign seeking help for a business project in Russia.

In a statement to the House Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election and possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen said on Monday the president’s company pursued a project in Moscow during the Republican primary. He said the plan was abandoned for various reasons.