Trump Jr. Admits Russian Offered Dirt on Clinton

Sources say it was only reason he agreed to meeting
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 10, 2017 1:17 AM CDT
Trump Jr. Was Promised Clinton Info in Meeting With Russian
Donald Trump Jr.,speaks at Trump Tower last month.   (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Donald Trump Jr. has revealed the real reason for his meeting with a Russian lawyer last year: He says Natalia Veselnitskaya told him she had information that could help his father's campaign. In a statement Sunday, Trump Jr. said during the June 2016 meeting, the lawyer told him "she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton," but failed to provide any details. Multiple sources tell the New York Times that Trump Jr. only agreed to the meeting—which was also attended by Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort, Trump's campaign manager at the time—because he had been promised damaging information on Clinton.

Trump Jr. earlier said the meeting with Veselnitskaya, which was set up by an acquaintance, was about a Russian adoption program. In his statement Sunday, he said the lawyer, who had no "meaningful information" about Clinton, soon switched focus to the adoption program and it became clear "that this was the true agenda all along." But his attempt to gain information on Clinton from a Kremlin-linked lawyer is certain to attract the attention of the Russia investigation, reports the Washington Post, which calls Trump Jr.'s statement "stunningly incriminating." According to the Election Law Blog, Trump Jr. may have violated the law on campaigns soliciting "anything of value" from foreign nationals. (More Donald Trump Jr. stories.)

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