Politics & Government

Donald Trump Jr. Accepted Offer Of Campaign Help From Russian Government: NYT

A third New York Times report further complicates the story of a previously undisclosed meeting between a Russian lawyer and the campaign.

NEW YORK, NY — Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer in June 2016 after being told she was part of a Kremlin-driven effort to help his father become president, according to a report Monday night from the New York Times citing three anonymous sources. This further complicates a story the Times broke over the weekend about the meeting with the lawyer, which Trump Jr. confirmed took place, that the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-Campaign Manager Paul Manafort also attended.

Initially, Trump Jr. said that the meeting was primarily focused on the issue of Russian-American adoption policy. Then, after the Times reported that the meeting was arranged to discuss potentially damaging information about Hillary Clinton, the president's son said this was a "pretext" for the meeting. On Monday, Trump Jr. began retaining a criminal defense attorney, who told the Times the story was "much ado about nothing" but did not deny the newest details the paper reported.

As many observers pointed out, opposition research is a very valuable resource during elections, and campaigns are barred from obtaining any form of valuable support from foreign entities. The White House maintains that President Trump was not aware of the meeting, which was held at Trump Tower, when it occurred.

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Watch: Conflicting Stories On If Kremlin Was Involved In Trump Jr.'s Meeting


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