Donald Trump

Trump Jr. Met With Russian Lawyer Who Promised Helpful Campaign Info

The June meeting at Trump Tower with attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya involved Trump Jr., his brother-in-law Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort, then the campaign chairman

President Donald Trump's son Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged Sunday that he met with a woman who turned out to be a Kremlin-connected lawyer during the 2016 presidential election — after being told she allegedly had information that could help his father's presidential campaign, NBC News reported

The New York Times first reported on Saturday that Donald Trump Jr. met with the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, prompting him to respond with a short statement confirming that the meeting occurred.

"I was asked to have a meeting by an acquaintance I knew from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant with an individual who I was told might have information helpful to the campaign," Trump Jr. said in Sunday's statement. "I was not told her name prior to the meeting."

According to Donald Trump Jr., the meeting occurred in June 2016 and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, and Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended.

On Sunday, The Times reported that Trump Jr. attended the meeting after having been told that the person there had information that would be damaging to Hillary Clinton's campaign. The Times article, which cited three anonymous White House advisers, said news of the meeting represented the first public indication that members of the 2016 Trump campaign were willing to accept Russian help.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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