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| Trump attorney fed statement to publicist for Russians about Trump Tower meeting | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The Trump Organization fed a prepared statement to a representative of Russians involved in the notorious 2016 meeting at Trump Tower on what to tell the press about what was discussed, it emerged on Wednesday. | The Trump Organization fed a prepared statement to a representative of Russians involved in the notorious 2016 meeting at Trump Tower on what to tell the press about what was discussed, it emerged on Wednesday. |
| An attorney for the Trump family’s company sent the proposed statement in an email and said it “would be our preference” if the representative did not say anything else in response to inquiries about the meeting. | An attorney for the Trump family’s company sent the proposed statement in an email and said it “would be our preference” if the representative did not say anything else in response to inquiries about the meeting. |
| The email was released among 2,500 documents published on Wednesday by the Senate judiciary committee, which has been investigating possible collusion between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. | The email was released among 2,500 documents published on Wednesday by the Senate judiciary committee, which has been investigating possible collusion between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. |
| Trump Jr, along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and 2016 presidential campaign chairman Paul Manafort, met a group of Russians at Trump Tower in New York in June 2016. | Trump Jr, along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and 2016 presidential campaign chairman Paul Manafort, met a group of Russians at Trump Tower in New York in June 2016. |
| The meeting is a key flashpoint for investigations into alleged collusion between Trump’s team and Russian interference in the election. US intelligence concluded the Kremlin intervened to help Trump beat Clinton. | The meeting is a key flashpoint for investigations into alleged collusion between Trump’s team and Russian interference in the election. US intelligence concluded the Kremlin intervened to help Trump beat Clinton. |
| The proposed statement about the meeting was sent by Alan Futerfas, an attorney for the Trump Organization, to Rob Goldstone, a British publicist who arranged the meeting on behalf of his Russian clients. | |
| “Please consider the following as a statement,” Futerfas said to Goldstone. “Please note that there will always be potential follow-up questions to any statement but if you feel comfortable with this statement and are comfortable saying nothing more, at least for the time being, that would be our preference. Again, any statement should be accurate as to your very best recollection.” | “Please consider the following as a statement,” Futerfas said to Goldstone. “Please note that there will always be potential follow-up questions to any statement but if you feel comfortable with this statement and are comfortable saying nothing more, at least for the time being, that would be our preference. Again, any statement should be accurate as to your very best recollection.” |
| Goldstone was working as a publicist for Emin Agalarov, a Russian singer, whose father Aras Agalarov is a Russian property developer on good terms with Vladimir Putin. | Goldstone was working as a publicist for Emin Agalarov, a Russian singer, whose father Aras Agalarov is a Russian property developer on good terms with Vladimir Putin. |
| The released documents show that Goldstone forwarded Futerfas’s email to Ike Kaveladze, one of Aras Agalarov’s executives, who attended the meeting at Trump Tower. | The released documents show that Goldstone forwarded Futerfas’s email to Ike Kaveladze, one of Aras Agalarov’s executives, who attended the meeting at Trump Tower. |
| “Here is statement by Trump lawyers which they have asked me to release,” Goldstone wrote in the subject bar. | “Here is statement by Trump lawyers which they have asked me to release,” Goldstone wrote in the subject bar. |
| In a statement on Wednesday, Democratic senators on the judiciary committee said: “The Committee’s staff interviews reveal that top Trump campaign officials were frustrated and angry that the meeting did not produce enough damaging information on their opponent. Their efforts to conceal the meeting and its true purpose are consistent with a larger pattern of false statements about the Trump campaign’s relationship with Russia.” | In a statement on Wednesday, Democratic senators on the judiciary committee said: “The Committee’s staff interviews reveal that top Trump campaign officials were frustrated and angry that the meeting did not produce enough damaging information on their opponent. Their efforts to conceal the meeting and its true purpose are consistent with a larger pattern of false statements about the Trump campaign’s relationship with Russia.” |
| The transcripts also show that Trump Jr told the committee that he couldn’t remember whether he had discussed the Russia investigation with his father. | |
| Trump Jr deflected multiple questions during the interview, including whether he discussed the Russia inquiry with his father. | Trump Jr deflected multiple questions during the interview, including whether he discussed the Russia inquiry with his father. |
| Natalia Veselnitskaya is the Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort at Trump Tower on 9 June 2016. Trump Jr has published emails showing Veselnitskaya was introduced to him as a “Russian government attorney” who had damaging information about Hillary Clinton. | Natalia Veselnitskaya is the Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort at Trump Tower on 9 June 2016. Trump Jr has published emails showing Veselnitskaya was introduced to him as a “Russian government attorney” who had damaging information about Hillary Clinton. |
| Veselnitskaya is a defence lawyer based just outside Moscow, whose main client in recent years has been Denis Katsyv, a businessman accused of profiting from a major tax fraud uncovered by lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. She fought his case in US courts and mounted a PR campaign to try to clear Katsyv’s name and overturn the “Magnitsky Act” sanctions against Russian officials that followed. | Veselnitskaya is a defence lawyer based just outside Moscow, whose main client in recent years has been Denis Katsyv, a businessman accused of profiting from a major tax fraud uncovered by lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. She fought his case in US courts and mounted a PR campaign to try to clear Katsyv’s name and overturn the “Magnitsky Act” sanctions against Russian officials that followed. |
| Veselnitskaya is not a government official and portrays herself as a lawyer with a private client. The question, then, is how she was able to secure the meeting at Trump Tower during a presidential campaign and why she was introduced to Trump Jr as representing the Russian government. | Veselnitskaya is not a government official and portrays herself as a lawyer with a private client. The question, then, is how she was able to secure the meeting at Trump Tower during a presidential campaign and why she was introduced to Trump Jr as representing the Russian government. |
| According to the transcripts, Trump Jr also said he didn’t think there was anything wrong with attending the Trump Tower meeting in which he was promised dirt on Hillary Clinton. | According to the transcripts, Trump Jr also said he didn’t think there was anything wrong with attending the Trump Tower meeting in which he was promised dirt on Hillary Clinton. |
| Asked in the interview if his father was involved in drafting the statement, Trump said: “I don’t know. I never spoke to my father about it.” | Asked in the interview if his father was involved in drafting the statement, Trump said: “I don’t know. I never spoke to my father about it.” |
| Goldstone told the committee he thought the meeting was a “bad idea”. | |
| “I believed it was a bad idea and that we shouldn’t do it. And I gave the reason for that being that I’m a music publicist. Politics, I knew nothing about,” Goldstone said. | “I believed it was a bad idea and that we shouldn’t do it. And I gave the reason for that being that I’m a music publicist. Politics, I knew nothing about,” Goldstone said. |
| He said he reported back to Emin Agalarov that “this was the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever asked me to do. I’ve just sat in a meeting about adoption.” | He said he reported back to Emin Agalarov that “this was the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever asked me to do. I’ve just sat in a meeting about adoption.” |
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