7/8/17: The New York Times reports that Donald Trump Jr. took part in a secret meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower in June 2016. Also attending were Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort.
__________
Secret meeting with Russians revealed.
__________
Suddenly, both Jr. and Jared remember – hey – we did have a meeting!
When asked to comment,
Jr. issues an official statement, assuring the Times the meeting was mostly about adoption policy.
 |
A meeting about adoption??? |
The lawyer in question, Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Times continues, “is best known for mounting a multipronged attack against the Magnitsky Act. This law was passed to blacklist human rights abusers. Vladimir Putin was so enraged he retaliated by halting American adoptions of Russian children.” Her “activities and associations have previously drawn the attention of the F.B.I., according to a former senior law enforcement official.”
In his statement, Jr. tries to explain away the damage. “It was a short introductory meeting,” that’s all.
I asked Jared
and Paul [Manafort] to drop by. We primarily
discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children [emphasis added]
that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since
ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at the time
and there was no follow up. I was asked to attend the meeting by an
acquaintance, but was not told the name of the person I would be meeting
beforehand.
You kind of had the idea he wanted to add: “I could have been talking with Taylor Swift, for all I remember.”
That same
evening, Mark Corallo, spokesman for the president’s lawyer, issues a
statement, hinting Jr. was set up. Veselnitskaya and an interpreter who came “misrepresented who they were.”
(The
Magnitsky Act, named after Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian lawyer who died in
police custody in 2009, sanctions 44 Russian nationals and allows the U.S. to
deny visas and seize assets it locates.
The U.S. government did freeze, for example, $14 million in the assets of Petr Katsyv. Eventually he forfeited $6 million after Magnitsky accused him of laundering $230 million, gobbling up Manhattan real estate, and hiding loot in various New York bank accounts.)
___
7/9/17: On Sunday, The New York Times reports that Don Jr. met with a lawyer the paper describes as “Kremlin-connected” after being promised damaging information [emphasis added] about Hillary Clinton.
__________
“A big nothing burger.”
White
House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus
__________
Jr. issues a second statement regarding the meeting he originally forgot having. Suddenly, it’s all coming back!
“After pleasantries were exchanged,” he claims,
…the woman
stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russian were
funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Hillary Clinton. Her
statements were vague, ambiguous, and made no sense. No details or supporting
information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear she had no
meaningful information.
The conversation turned to adoption policies and the Magnitsky Act, which Jr. surmised was “the true agenda all along.”
Reince Priebus calls the story a “big nothing burger.”
___
7/10/17: Jr.’s story changes dramatically (again) after the Times informs him it has in its possession emails that blow twenty holes in his cover story. Jr. tries scrambling for safety, like a rat leaving the S.S. Trump. What do you know! He has a string of emails he’d like to put out.
Here are a few keys from the thread:
From: Rob Goldstone To: Donald Trump Jr. June 3, 2016, 10:36 AM
Emin just
called and asked me to contact you with something very interesting.
The Crown
prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their
meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents
and information that would incriminate
Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father [emphasis
added, unless otherwise noted].
This is
obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support
for Mr. Trump – helped along by Aras and Emin.
What do you
think is the best way to handle this information and would you be able to speak
to Emin about it directly?
I can also send this info to your father via Rhona, but it is ultra sensitive so wanted to send to you first.
Best, Rob Goldstone
(Emin is
Russian pop star Emin Agalarov. Aras is his father, a wealthy real estate
billionaire sometimes called the “Donald Trump of Russia.” Wait. Is that an
insult? “Rhona” is Rhona Graff, Don Sr.’s personal secretary.)
From: Donald Trump Jr. To: Rob Goldstone June 3, 2016, 10:53
Thanks Rob I appreciate that. I am on the
road at the moment but perhaps I just speak to Emin first. Seems we have some
time and if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer.
From: Rob Goldstone To: Donald Trump, Jr. June 7, 2016, 4:20 PM
Emin asked that I schedule a meeting with you and The Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow for this Thursday.
(A
good deal of discussion follows: time for the meeting, what day, plans get
changed. Finally, it’s on.)
From: Donald Trump, Jr. To: Rob Goldstone June 7, 2016, 6:14 PM
Great. It will likely be Paul Manafort
(campaign boss) my brother in law and me. 725 Fifth Ave 25th floor.
(At this
point Donald Jr. forwards the entire thread to Kushner and Manafort.)
*
CHRISTOPHER WRAY, Trump’s nominee to head the FBI, sits down for an interview
with a congressional panel. He is asked three times if the Russian
investigation is a “witch hunt.” Like Peter, before the cock crowed, Wray
thrice denies the president’s founding premise.
Not a witch hunt.
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