Donald Trump Jr. Meeting ALSO Included a ‘Former Soviet Counter Intel Officer’
EXCLUSIVE: Lawyer who met with Trump Jr. was accompanied by a Russian-American lobbyist- @TODAYshow https://t.co/YhBMtj2j7f
— NBC News (@NBCNews) July 14, 2017
NBC is reporting that in addition to Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, and Veselnitskaya — another unnamed person was at the meeting. The individual, who has not been named is a known Russian-American lobbyist and former Soviet counter intelligence officer, NBC reported on Friday.
NBC EXCLUSIVE: Also in DJTJr mtg: “a former Soviet counter intel officer who is suspected . . . of having ongoing ties to Russian intel”
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) July 14, 2017
For a story which has been gestating in the media for days, the new revelations are breathtaking. News of the lobbyist threatens to upset a carefully crafted narrative from Trump land about the nature of the meeting and will continue to erode Trump Jr. — and the President’s — credibility about the true nature of the discussion.
President Trump addressed the issue during his joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris yesterday. In response to a question from ABC reporter Cecilia Vega, Trump Sr. called the meeting to potentially gather opposition research on Hillary Clinton “routine” and said that any campaign would have taken it. He also subsequently called his son — who is the same age as President Macron — a “good kid”
UPDATE:
The fifth man in the meeting has now been identified Rinat Akhmetshin. Over the year Akhmetshin has maintained a long working relationship with Veselnitskaya and both worked closely in efforts to overturn the Magnitsky Act. In addition to Akhmetshin, a sixth man, a translator, was also present.
Neither Donald Trump Jr. or President Trump, who is now airborne on his return from France, have responded to the new disclosures.
[image via screengrab]
Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com
