9/22/18: Yet another book about Trump and the Russians is scheduled for release. This time it’s Pop Stars, Pageants and Presidents: How an Email Trumped My Life by Rob Goldstone.
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“Part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.”
Rob Goldstone
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Goldstone is the man who touched the fuse that led to the explosive meeting of Don Jr., Jared, and Paul Manafort with a team of Russians bearing gifts, at Trump Tower in the summer of 2016.
I, for one, will not be rushing out to get an autographed copy of his book; but Goldstone’s insights may be telling. He says he has no doubt the Russians interfered in the election – and believes the Trump campaign was open to foreign assistance. Was this a “dirty offer,” he was asked in a recent interview?
“Yes,” he replied. “That is true.”
Goldstone, made a living as a publicist for many years, had several ties that now interest investigators, and admits he has already spent a total of nine hours talking to the Mueller team. He once won a spot on The Celebrity Apprentice for a client, Venezuelan actress Patricia Velasquez. He knew Trump before he became president. In 2012 he took on a new client, Emin Agalarov, a “Moscow-based crooner.”
The Washington Post tells the Goldstone story in detail, hinting at potential problems for the president. In the spring of 2013, Emin and Goldstone, who has dual U.S./British citizenship and lives in New Jersey, approached Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization. Would she help book a pageant contestant to appear in one of Emin’s music videos? Not only would she try, but she’d talk to Trump about a cameo. Shugart mentioned the possibility of bringing the pageant to Russia. Emin suggested Moscow. He and his father would pay for the move – and would eventually spend $15 million to host the Miss Universe show.
Eventually, Emin, Goldstone and Emin’s father, Aras Agalarov, met Trump in Las Vegas, where the Miss USA pageant was being conducted. Goldstone sat at dinner next to Michael Cohen.
As Goldstone explains:
Trump appeared to hit it off
with Emin Agalarov. At one point during dinner, Trump loudly challenged the
young singer: “‘Hey Emin! I’ll reduce the [pageant] fee right now by a million
dollars if you tell me if you’ve ever slept with any contestants!’” Goldstone
recalled Trump saying.
Agalarov shot back:
“Interesting. I’ll increase your fee by $5 million right now if you tell
me if you’ve ever slept with any contestant.”
Trump responded with a smile,
“We should just forget the bet.” The room cracked up.
The Miss Universe pageant in Moscow proved to be a great success. Trump either did or didn’t sleep with several Russian hookers while he was there.
Emin got his wish.
In November 2013 he released a nearly four-minute music video of his song, In Another Life. Lip-synching all the way, the handsome Russian spills coffee on his white t-shirt. This affords him excuse to strip off the garment, dance across the back of a living room sofa, and perform an exuberant handstand. All the while he fantasizes about pageant contestants. The first appears in a mirror as he brushes his teeth. Miss Russia plunks down on the bench as he plays the piano and lip-synchs. She disappears, to be followed by a sultry Miss USA in a red-sequined dress. Poof and she’s gone. Next, we have Miss Puerto Rico, Miss Switzerland, and Miss Poland. More lip-synching, by all.
Eventually, the crooner looks under his bed, trying to figure
out where all the babes have gone. You lose track of all the beauties. Five
follow him down a flight of stairs. A dozen are scattered about an indoor pool.
A hefty older woman jumps into the pool, splashes Emin, and he wakes from a
dream.
I think the moral of the story is that Emin is trapped in a nightmare, because Donald J. Trump appears at the head of a conference table, demanding, “Wake him up right now! Emin, wake up. Come on. What’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with you, Emin? Let’s get with it.”
The video ends when Trump fires Emin.
(I was hoping the last scene would show Trump turning into a Mr. Potato Head-like version of himself.)
This offer was “very high level and sensitive.”
So, what do we know? We know the future president and the Russian tunesmith knew each other well. We know a meeting scheduled between Trump and Putin during the time the pageant was in Moscow fell through after Putin was delayed by a session with the King of Holland. When Trump decided to run for president, Emin and his dad remembered how much fun they had had with the orange-tinted tycoon.
Goldstone had high hopes too. He
remembers thinking, in early 2016, that if Trump won perhaps his client would
be invited to sing at the inauguration or visit the White House. Instead, on
the morning of June 3, Goldstone
fielded a call from the singer, asking him to use his contacts with the
Trump family.
Emin wanted to hook up agents of the Russian government with leaders of the campaign. Agalarov had met a “well connected” lawyer earlier that day; and that lawyer had some serious dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Goldstone sat down and banged out an email to Don Jr. The Russians, he said, had info that “would incriminate” Hillary. But Don Jr. should beware. This offer was “very high level and sensitive.” The information was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.”
Today, Goldstone insists that he was puffing up his story a little, bragging as it were, to get Don Jr.’s attention.
Jr. quickly responded, “If it’s what you say I love it.”
According to the Goldstone story in the Post, phone records provided to Congress show Jr. talked briefly with Emin on June 6. Called before Congress to testify in front of a House Intelligence Committee, chaired by Rep. Devin Nunes, Don Jr. claimed he had no memory of that call.
In fact, you had to wonder if someone slugged him upside the head on or about June 10, because Jr. eventually forgot:
A) Having had the meeting with the Russians on June 9.
B) Who he talked to on the phone (at a blocked number that might well have been his dad’s) before, during, and after the meeting.
C) Who was at the meeting.
D) Why he, Jared Kushner, Paul
Manafort, and the Russians gathered at all.
Goldstone makes one particularly interesting point during his interview. He notes that Don Jr. must have been impressed by what Emin said over the phone. “My email didn’t get a meeting at Trump Tower,” he claimed. “My email got a call.”
Unless Jr. or Jared or Paul can offer insight, Goldstone
adds, “we’ll never know why there was a meeting [emphasis added]” on
June 9, 2016.
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