Donald Trump Jr.'s attempt to be "totally transparent" may have just confirmed the existence of "a back-channel" between President Trump and the Russian government, the New Republic's Brian Beutler noted in a tweet shortly after Trump Jr. on Tuesday released his email chain setting up his meeting in June 2016 with a Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer. In the emails, publicist Rob Goldstone says he has incriminating information about Hillary Clinton that's "part of Russia and its government's support for [President] Trump" and offers to send it to President Trump "via Rhona."
Rhona Graff, per Politico's report in March, has been "the gatekeeper at Trump Tower for a quarter century." The president has reportedly kept her around now that he's at the White House "for those who want to quietly offer advice, make personnel suggestions, or get on the president's calendar when he's at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida." Politico reported that Trump associate Roger Stone described Graff as the "favored point of contact for 'anyone who thinks the system in Washington will block their access.'"
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.
-
5 hilariously pointed cartoons about the government shutdown blame gameCartoons Artists take on finger guns, pants on fire, and more
-
October 11 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday's political cartoons include exercising voting rights, weight-loss drugs for the military, and ICE at a job fair
-
Remaking the military: the war on diversity and ‘fat generals’Talking Point The US Secretary of War addressed military members on ‘warrior ethos’
-
Trump DOJ indicts New York AG Letitia JamesSpeed Read New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted as Trump’s Justice Department pursues charges against his political opponents
-
Judge blocks Trump’s Guard deployment in ChicagoSpeed Read The president is temporarily blocked from federalizing the Illinois National Guard or deploying any Guard units in the state
-
Trump urges jail for Illinois, Chicago leadersSpeed Read The Texas National Guard begin operations in the Chicago area
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-offSpeed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to ChicagoSpeed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in OregonSpeed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
