Russian Lawyer Who Met Trump Jr. Ready to 'Clarify the Situation'

Natalia Veselnitskaya says she'd testify before Congress
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 19, 2017 10:00 AM CDT
Russian Lawyer Who Met Trump Jr. Ready to Share 'Real Story'
In this July 11, 2017, photo, Natalia Veselnitskaya speaks to journalists in Moscow.   (Alexander Zemlianichenko)

The Russian lawyer who met with President Trump's eldest son during the 2016 election campaign said Wednesday she's ready to "clarify the situation behind this mass hysteria, but only through lawyers or testifying in the Senate." Donald Trump Jr. agreed to meet with Natalia Veselnitskaya in the expectation of receiving incriminating information about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, according to emails Trump Jr. has publicly released. President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chief Paul Manafort also attended the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower.

"If the Senate wishes to hear the real story, I will be happy to speak up and share everything I wanted to tell Mr. Trump [Jr.]," she added in the Russian TV interview, per the AP. That appeared to be a reference to Veselnitskaya's previous statement that the meeting with Trump Jr. focused on US-Russian adoption policies and a US sanctions law. She has denied working for the Russian government. The meeting raised new questions about the Trump campaign's possible ties to Moscow, which are being scrutinized by federal and congressional investigators. These questions have only intensified as the identities of other Russia-connected participants have become known. (More Donald Trump Jr. stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X