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Trump Jr meeting: Russia lobbyist confirms attendance | Trump Jr meeting: Russia lobbyist confirms attendance |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A former Soviet counter-intelligence official attended a meeting last year with senior aides to President Donald Trump and his son, it has emerged. | |
Rinat Akhmetshin, now a lobbyist, told AP news agency he was present at the encounter in Trump Tower. | |
Donald Trump Jr was promised damaging material on Hillary Clinton at the meeting, his emails show. | |
Mr Trump Jr has only previously acknowledged that a Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, was present. | |
The president's eldest son has played down the 9 June 2016 meeting since it was reported this week. | |
But a congressional panel investigating claims that Russia meddled in last year's US election, in a bid to help Donald Trump, has asked the president's son to publicly testify. | |
Emails show Mr Trump Jr, together with the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and campaign chairman Paul Manafort, met Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who had reported ties to the Russian government, on 9 June 2016. | Emails show Mr Trump Jr, together with the president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and campaign chairman Paul Manafort, met Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who had reported ties to the Russian government, on 9 June 2016. |
The records revealed the encounter was arranged under the premise that Ms Veselnitskaya would share damaging information about Mrs Clinton, Mr Trump's Democratic party rival for the White House. | |
Mr Trump Jr said it later became apparent that Ms Veselnitskaya wanted to discuss a suspended programme for Americans to adopt Russian children. | Mr Trump Jr said it later became apparent that Ms Veselnitskaya wanted to discuss a suspended programme for Americans to adopt Russian children. |
Since he was elected, President Trump has been dogged by allegations that Russia tried to sabotage Mrs Clinton's campaign to help him win. | Since he was elected, President Trump has been dogged by allegations that Russia tried to sabotage Mrs Clinton's campaign to help him win. |
He has rejected any knowledge of this and Russia has also repeatedly denied interfering. | He has rejected any knowledge of this and Russia has also repeatedly denied interfering. |
During a news conference in Paris, Mr Trump defended his son, saying he was merely attempting to collect opposition research and that "most people would have taken that meeting". | During a news conference in Paris, Mr Trump defended his son, saying he was merely attempting to collect opposition research and that "most people would have taken that meeting". |
"Nothing happened from the meeting. Zero happened," Mr Trump insisted. | "Nothing happened from the meeting. Zero happened," Mr Trump insisted. |
What do we know about Rinat Akhmetshin? | |
He told the AP he served in a Soviet military unit that was part of counterintelligence, but was never formally trained as a spy. | |
But in court papers filed with the US District Court in Washington, DC, a mining company accused him of organising a hack on the company's private records as part of an alleged smear campaign against the firm by Russian oligarch Andrey Melinchenko. | |
International Mineral Resources (IMR) hired a private investigator to follow Mr Akhmetshin to London, where he allegedly heard the Russian-American brag about arranging the hack of IMR's computer system, according to court documents. | |
Mr Akhmetshin denied the allegations, but admitted to distributing a hard-drive with data on IMR's owners that he said was open source information. | |
The allegations were later withdrawn. | |
Why was he at the meeting? | |
Mr Trump Jr's lawyer, Alan Futerfas, told the Hill, a Washington DC politics news outlet, that the lobbyist had been introduced during the meeting as a friend of Ms Veselnitskaya. | Mr Trump Jr's lawyer, Alan Futerfas, told the Hill, a Washington DC politics news outlet, that the lobbyist had been introduced during the meeting as a friend of Ms Veselnitskaya. |
The lawyer said: "Basically he helped translate because Natalia's English is not that good. | The lawyer said: "Basically he helped translate because Natalia's English is not that good. |
"He's a US citizen. All I can say is Trump Jr met him for the first time and learned his name minutes before the meeting and he was introduced as a friend." | "He's a US citizen. All I can say is Trump Jr met him for the first time and learned his name minutes before the meeting and he was introduced as a friend." |
Mr Futerfas denied the lobbyist worked for the Russian government. | Mr Futerfas denied the lobbyist worked for the Russian government. |
"I never thought this would be such a big deal, to be honest," Mr Akhmetshin told the AP. | |
The meeting at Trump Tower was set up by Rob Goldstone, a British music publicist for Russian pop star Emin Agalarov. | The meeting at Trump Tower was set up by Rob Goldstone, a British music publicist for Russian pop star Emin Agalarov. |
Mr Agalarov worked with Donald Trump Snr on staging the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013. | Mr Agalarov worked with Donald Trump Snr on staging the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow in 2013. |
Mr Goldstone emailed Mr Trump Jr to advise him that "two people" would attend the meeting to provide information that is "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump". | Mr Goldstone emailed Mr Trump Jr to advise him that "two people" would attend the meeting to provide information that is "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump". |
Ms Veselnitskaya earlier this week told the New York Times she had been joined by a translator, without naming the person. | Ms Veselnitskaya earlier this week told the New York Times she had been joined by a translator, without naming the person. |