Donald Trump Jr confirms meeting Russian lawyer
US President's son hoped to find out damaging information on Hillary Clinton during campaign
Donald Trump Jr has confirmed he met a lawyer with links to the Kremlin who was promising information that could damage Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
The US President's son said he met Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower in New York on 9 June 2016, two weeks after his father clinched the Republican nomination, the New York Times reports. Paul Manafort, Trump campaign chairman at the time, was also said to be present, along with Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Veselnitskaya has carried out work for several senior Russian government officials.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The meeting… points to the central question in federal investigations of the Kremlin's meddling in the presidential election: whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians," the NYT says. Accounts of the meeting "represent the first public indication that at least some in the campaign were willing to accept Russian help".
Trump Jr added the lawyer had "no meaningful information" and that her "claims of potentially helpful information" had been a pretext.
The Washington Post calls it "a breathtaking admission".
Trump Jr "has denied that anything relevant came out of the meeting, but that could be beside the point", says BBC North America reporter Anthony Zurcher. "Intent is key."
Veselnitskaya also acknowledged the meeting, but said: "Nothing at all was discussed about the presidential campaign."
She added: "I have never acted on behalf of the Russian government and have never discussed any of these matters with any representative of the Russian government."
The US President faces several investigations into whether his campaign colluded with Moscow during last year's presidential election.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Judge reopens Trump challenge in secrets case
Speed Read Aileen Cannon continues to delay and complicate the classified documents case
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
E. Jean Carroll seeks further damages from Trump over CNN remarks
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
E. Jean Carroll may sue Trump over 'foul' CNN remarks
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Judge: Grand jurors in Georgia Trump probe must tread lightly, but can discuss final report
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
4 Oath Keepers found guilty of seditious conspiracy
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
US Republicans push to keep strict Covid border laws
Speed Read A judge ruled that the controversial Title 42 restrictions on asylum seekers should be scrapped
By Richard Windsor Published
-
Judge: Trump signed legal documents he knew contained false voter fraud numbers
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published