Donald Trump Jr., eldest son of US President Donald Trump, told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday that he met with a Russian lawyer in June 2016 because he was open to receiving damaging information on then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, The New York Times reported.
Trump Jr. and other members of President Trump's election campaign have been dogged by allegations surrounding a meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, especially after he previously said he had not met with Russians in relation to his father's presidential campaign. This was later clarified to mean Russian government officials.
"To the extent they had information concerning the fitness, character or qualifications of a presidential candidate, I believed that I should at least hear them out," Trump Jr. said in his opening statement.
Read more: Why the Russia probes don't cripple Trump's foreign policy
"Depending on what, if any information they had, I could then consult with counsel to make an informed decision as to whether to give it further consideration." He added that at the time, there was "not the focus on Russian activities that there is today."
President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended the meeting with Veselnitskaya.
At first, Trump Jr. had failed to mention Clinton when discussing his meeting with Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya (seen above) and other Russian figures
'This Russian thing'
The FBI along with several congressional committees have launched investigations into whether Moscow coordinated with Trump's presidential campaign officials to undermine last year's divisive elections after US intelligence agencies reported interference from Russian security services.
In May, Trump cited "this Russian thing with Trump and Russia" as one of the reasons behind firing former FBI Director James Comey, who led the investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, prompting fears of White House interference in the probe.
However, FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday said he has "not detected any whiff of interference" into the ongoing probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
2013: Mr Trump goes to Russia
June 18, 2013. Donald Trump tweeted: "The Miss Universe Pageant will be broadcast live from MOSCOW, RUSSIA on November 9. A big deal that will bring our countries together!" He later added: "Do you think Putin will be going - if so, will he become my new best friend?" October 17, 2013 Trump tells chat show host David Letterman he has conducted "a lot of business with the Russians."
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
September 2015: Hacking allegations raised
An FBI agent told a tech-support contractor at the Democratic National Committee it may have been hacked. On May 18, 2016, James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence, said there were "some indications" of cyberattacks aimed at the presidential campaigns. On June 14, 2016 the DNC announced it had been the victim of an attack by Russian hackers.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
July 20, 2016: Mr Kislyak enters the picture
Senator Jeff Sessions - an early Trump endorser who led his national security advisory committee - met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and a group of other ambassadors at a Republican National Convention event.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
July 22, 2016: Assange thickens the plot
Julian Assange's WikiLeaks published 20,000 emails stolen from the DNC, appearing to show a preference for Hillary Clinton over Senator Bernie Sanders.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
July 25, 2016: Cometh the hour, Comey the man
The FBI announced it was investigating the DNC hack saying "a compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously."
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
November 8, 2016: Trump elected
Donald Trump is elected president of the United States. On November 9, the Russian parliament burst into applause at the news.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
November 10, 2016: Team Trump denies Russia link
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Rybakov said there "were contacts" between the Russian government and the Trump campaign during the election campaign. The Trump campaign issued a firm denial.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
November 18, 2016: Flynn appointed
Trump named General Michael Flynn as his national security adviser. The former Defence Intelligence Agency chief was a top foreign policy adviser in Trump's campaign. Flynn resigned in February after failing to disclose full details of his communication with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
January 26, 2017: Yates - 'The center cannot hold'
Acting attorney general Sally Yates told White House counsel Don McGahn that Flynn made false statements regarding his calls with Kislyak. On January 30 Trump fired Yates for refusing to enforce his travel ban, which was later blocked by federal courts.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
March 2, 2017: Sessions recuses himself
Trump said he had "total confidence" in Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Sessions announced he would recuse himself from any investigation into ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
March 20, 2017: FBI examines Trump-Kremlin links
FBI Director James Comey confirmed before the House Select Committee on Intelligence that the FBI was investigating possible links between Russia and the Trump campaign.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
May 9, 2017: Trump sacks Comey
In a letter announcing the termination, Trump wrote: "While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau."
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
May 17, 2017: Mueller appointed special counsel
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller to look into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
August 2017: FBI seizes documents from Manafort
Shortly after Mueller convenes a grand jury for the investigation, the FBI seizes documents from one of Paul Manafort’s properties as part of a raid for Mueller’s probe. The former Trump campaigner manager stepped down in August 2016 after allegations surfaced that he had received large payments linked to Ukraine’s former pro-Russian government.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
September 2017: Trump Jr.'s talks to Senate committee
Donald Trump Jr. tells the Senate Judiciary Committee he has not colluded with a foreign government. The closed-door interview relates to his June 2016 meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, which was also attended by his brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then campaign manager Paul Manafort. Trump Jr.’s emails, however, suggest the meeting was supposed to produce dirt on Clinton.
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How Donald Trump's Russian connection unfolded
October 2017: Internet giants allege Russian interference
Facebook, Twitter and Google reportedly tell US media they have evidence that Russian operatives exploited platforms to spread disinformation during the 2016 US presidential election. The three companies are expected to appear before a Senate Intelligence Committee in November.
Author: Jo Harper, Kathleen Schuster
ls/jm (Reuters, AP, dpa)
