The sports category has moved to a new website.
ADVERTISEMENT

US President's son met Russian to get dirt on Clinton

Trump junior confirmed reports that he was on the trail of damaging information on the Democrat vying to become America's first woman president.

Donald Trump Jr., seen here at Trump Tower last January just before his father's inauguration, admitted to meeting last year with a Russian lawyer in a bid to get dirt on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton

Trump junior confirmed reports that he was on the trail of damaging information on the Democrat vying to become America's first woman president, when he met Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016.

"Obviously, I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent," Trump's son said in a tweet, claiming that it "went nowhere" but he "had to listen."

The FBI and Congress are investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential vote.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a mass effort to tilt the election in Trump's favor, including hacking and leaking embarrassing emails from Democrats.

ADVERTISEMENT

A spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, Amanda Miller, confirmed to AFP that Donald Trump Jr. had hired attorney Alan Futerfas to represent him in the widening Russian meddling investigation, amid calls -- including from senior members of the US Congress -- that he provide testimony in the case.

The New York Times reported that Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, two of Trump's most trusted campaign officials, were also at the meeting last year.

Veselnitskaya is not well known in Russia, but represented the son of a senior Russian official who was involved in a major fraud probe that had international repercussions.

In a statement to the Times, the younger Trump said the lawyer "stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Mrs Clinton."

"It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information," he said, adding that the lawyer then began discussing the adoption of Russian children by American couples under a program Putin had suspended.

ADVERTISEMENT

The meeting took place at a pivotal point in the 2016 campaign, after Trump had shocked Republicans with a string of primary victories and Clinton had all-but secured the Democratic nomination.

US officials have sought to distance the president himself from the encounter.

"The president was not aware of and did not attend the meeting," Mark Corallo, a spokesman for President Trump's private lawyer, told AFP.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump had only learned of the meeting "in the last couple of days."

Donald Trump junior's meeting has already drawn the attention of Congressional investigators.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting," said Republican Senator Susan Collins.

A spokesperson for Kushner did not respond to request for comment.

The Kremlin said it "did not know who" Veselnitskaya was. "We can't be aware of all the meetings Russian lawyers have abroad," said spokesman Dmitri Peskov.

'Brilliant'

President Trump has repeatedly decried allegations of collusion as "fake news" and equivocated about whether Russia tried to interfere in the election.

ADVERTISEMENT

During a meeting with Putin on Friday on the margins of the G20 summit in Germany, Trump raised the issue of election interference before turning to other subjects.

"I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election," Trump later said. "He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion..."

That meeting in Hamburg is raising yet more Russia-related problems for the White House.

Scrambling for concrete victories to take away from the controversial two-hour-plus sit-down, the White House hailed deals establishing a joint "cyber unit" and a ceasefire in southern Syria.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claimed Trump was "brilliant" during the meeting and said the cyber unit would "make sure that Russia and nobody else interferes in any democratic elections."

ADVERTISEMENT

No details of the plan were provided, however, and it appeared to quickly unravel when Trump himself questioned if it would come into effect.

"The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't -- but a ceasefire can, & did!" he tweeted.

The internationally brokered ceasefire in southern Syria has brought quiet to most of the three provinces covered -- Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida.

But the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, reported a government assault on Sweida province, just 24 hours into the truce, in addition to scattered violations recorded elsewhere.

Syrian state media claimed the Sweida assault was targeted against the Islamic State group.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: news@pulselive.co.ke

Recommended articles

Marianne Kitany tactfully speaks on whether Ruto should fire her ex, CS Linturi

Marianne Kitany tactfully speaks on whether Ruto should fire her ex, CS Linturi

Gov't & opposition officials clash at Rita Tinina's burial ceremony

Gov't & opposition officials clash at Rita Tinina's burial ceremony

CS Murkomen unveils new number plates for cars that will get preferential treatment

CS Murkomen unveils new number plates for cars that will get preferential treatment

Moi University students escape through windows after road crash

Moi University students escape through windows after road crash

57,000 civil servants to have their rent reviewed upwards

57,000 civil servants to have their rent reviewed upwards

Interesting story of U.S. Army Specialist Wambui who comes from a military family

Interesting story of U.S. Army Specialist Wambui who comes from a military family

Heroic GSU officer dies after jumping out of a taxi along Thika Super Highway

Heroic GSU officer dies after jumping out of a taxi along Thika Super Highway

DJ Joe Mfalme detained for 14 more days

DJ Joe Mfalme detained for 14 more days

Explosive blows up hotel next to police station, deaths reported

Explosive blows up hotel next to police station, deaths reported

ADVERTISEMENT