This was the first confirmed private meeting between Trump's team and person linked with Russian Government during the campaign. As per reports, this was the first time when Trump Jr. is known to have been involved in such meeting.
President Donald Trump was "not aware of and did not attend" a 2016 meeting between his son, Donald Trump Jr., and a Kremlin-connected lawyer that the New York Times reported on Sunday followed promises of damaging information on Hillary Clinton, Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump's legal team, said.
The Times, citing three advisors to the White House, said Trump's then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also attended the meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.
US President Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. was promised to damage information about Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton before agreeing to meet with a Russian lawyer who has connections to the Kremlin.
As per the New York Times, the information were provided by three advisers to the White House briefed on the meeting and two others who had knowledge of it. According to reports, the unreported meeting, which took place on June 9, 2016 at Trump Tower in Manhattan, was attended by Trump's campaign chairman, Paul J. Manafort and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Though, it is still unclear whether Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, actually fulfilled the promised compromising information about Clinton or not. Donald Trump Jr. in a statement on Sunday said he had met the Russian lawyer at the request of an acquaintance.
"After pleasantries were exchanged the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Clinton. Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information."
He further claimed that he turned the conversation to adoption of Russian children and the Magnitsky Act. Earlier on Saturday, it was reported that two weeks after US President Donald Trump won the Republican nomination last year, Trump Jr. arranged a meeting with a Russian lawyer who has connections to the Kremlin.
This was the first confirmed private meeting between Trump's team and person linked with Russian Government during the campaign. As per reports, this was the first time when Trump Jr. is known to have been involved in such meeting.
Moreover, officials of Trump Jr. and Kushner confirmed the meeting, in which the former described the meeting as primarily about an adoption program.
Representatives on June 11, former FBI Director James Comey had accused Trump of firing him to try to undermine the FBI's investigation of possible collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia in alleged efforts to influence last year's presidential election.
Comey told the US Senate Intelligence Committee that the Trump administration had lied and defamed him and the FBI after the President dismissed him on May 9. The more than two hour-long-testimony saw Comey further informing that Trump had directed him to drop an FBI probe against former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Comey said it should be special counsel Robert Mueller's task to determine whether Trump had obstructed justice, and therefore, had opened himself up to possible impeachment proceedings, keeping the allegations on Russia in mind.
He, however, said that whatever Trump did was "a very disturbing thing, very concerning."
Comey painted a picture of an overbearing president he did not trust and who pressured him to stop the FBI probe of Flynn. Russia has denied interfering in last year's presidential elections, as has the White House.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Hillary Clinton, White House, Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, New York Times, Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}