Russian lawyer claims Trump Jr. promised to reconsider anti-Russia law 'if we come to power'
Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya said in an interview in Moscow that Donald Trump Jr. suggested at a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower that his father's administration might lift the anti-Russia Magnitsky law "if we come to power," Bloomberg Politics reports.
Veselnitskaya has long lobbied against the law, which was instated in retaliation over the death of Kremlin corruption whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, who died under suspicious circumstances in a Moscow prison in 2009. The 2012 U.S. law has been a thorn in the side of Russian officials, and Russia responded to it by banning adoptions to America.
Veselnitskaya claimed Donald Trump Jr. told her "looking ahead, if we come to power, we can return to this issue and think what to do about it." He reportedly added: "I understand our side may have messed up, but it’ll take a long time to get to the bottom of it." Trump Jr. had agreed to the meeting apparently because Veselnitskaya claimed Hillary Clinton's campaign was being funded in part by money that evaded United States tax laws. When Veselnitskaya failed to present any documented proof, the meeting allegedly fell apart.
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Veselnitskaya said she would be willing to speak about her meeting with Trump Jr. before the Senate Judiciary Committee, so long as it was made public. Congressional investigators have not yet agreed. "I made up my mind a long time ago: My testimony must be honest, full, and public," she said. Read more at Bloomberg Politics.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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