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.
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
-
Trump pivots on Epstein vote amid GOP defectionsSpeed Read The president said House Republicans should vote on a forced release of the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein files
-
Trump DOJ sues to block California redistrictingSpeed Read California’s new congressional map was drawn by Democrats to flip Republican-held House seats
-
GOP retreats from shutdown deal payout provisionSpeed Read Senators are distancing themselves from a controversial provision in the new government funding package
-
Catholic bishops rebuke Trump on immigrationSpeed Read ‘We feel compelled’ to ‘raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,’ the bishops said
-
House releases Epstein emails referencing TrumpSpeed Read The emails suggest Trump knew more about Epstein’s sex trafficking of underage women than he has claimed
-
Newsom slams Trump’s climate denial at COP30speed read Trump, who has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ declined to send any officials to this week’s summit
-
UK, Colombia halt intel to US over boat attacksSpeed Read Both countries have suspended intelligence sharing with the US over the bombing of civilian boats suspected of drug smuggling
