CNN says 8 people, including 3 still unidentified, attended the Don Trump Jr. meeting with the Russians. Oops. https://t.co/eOgNrKtybc
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) July 14, 2017
So we already knew about Trump Jr, Kushner, Paul Manafort, Rob Goldstone, and the pretty Russian lawyer-lobbyist. And now we hear there was a “former Soviet counter-intel officer”…
… The revelation of additional participants comes as The Associated Press first reported Friday that a Russian-American lobbyist named Rinat Akhmetshin said he also attended the June 2016 meeting with Donald Trump Jr. CNN has reached out to Akhmetshin for comment.
So far acknowledged in attendance: Trump Jr., Kushner, Manafort, Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, Akhmetshin and publicist Rob Goldstone, who helped set up the meeting. A source familiar with the circumstances told CNN there were at least two other people in the room as well, a translator and a representative of the Russian family who had asked Goldstone to set up the meeting. The source did not provide the names…
Earlier this year, Sen. Charles Grassley had written a letter to John Kelly, the secretary of Homeland Security, describing Akhmetshin as “a Russian immigrant to the United States who has been accused of acting as an unregistered agent for Russian interests and apparently has ties to Russian intelligence.” Grassley was requesting “all information” on Akhmetshin’s immigration history.
Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who has been lobbied by Akhmetshin, told CNN earlier this year that the lobbyist is someone with “an ulterior motive” who is “involved with people who’ve got an agenda” and has “international connections to different groups in Russia.” When asked if he thought Akhmetshin was connected to the Russian security services, Rohrabacher said: “I would certainly not rule that out.”…
Trump Jr, Kushner, Manafort, Veselnitskaya, Goldstone, Akhmetshin. 2/3 of people at this meeting have been paid to advance Russian interests
— On Trial for ?????? (@ZeddRebel) July 14, 2017
Plus also, there’s the translator…
Translator Anatoli Samochornov declined to comment on if he was at the meeting https://t.co/9VWqQXsBIV pic.twitter.com/27xutT5qLZ
— Miriam Elder (@MiriamElder) July 14, 2017
There he is, in the center, dark jacket, glasses. pic.twitter.com/RsEVy2VgKd
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) July 14, 2017
So all we need (until the next shoe drops) is the name of the guy “representing” Araz Agalarov, ex-Azerbajani Russian real estate magnate. Maybe they sent along his pop-star kid Emin, just to make Donny Jr and Jared feel more comfortable, in the company of yet another opposite-of-self-made princeling?
It's starting to look like there were more people in that meeting than attended Trump's inauguration.
— John Lorenz (@StrangeShadows) July 14, 2017
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