Trump Jr. was told in email of Russian effort to aid father’s campaign

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According to a new report by the New York Times, Donald Trump Jr. was told in an email that the compromising information he was being offered about Hillary Clinton was part of a wider effort by the Russian government to influence the United States presidential election.

According to three people who have knowledge of the email, Trump Jr. was told by Rob Goldstone, a publicist and former British tabloid reporter, that the information on Clinton that was promised to be damaging to her campaign came from the Russian government, though the email did not elaborate further on that point.

–Trump Jr. met with Russian lawyer over ‘damaging’ info about Clinton–

What’s more, there is no evidence that the information was related to the broader Russian hack of the election, including the release of emails related to Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, and it seems that Goldstone might have been simply passing along information that he had received from others.

Alan Futerfas, the lawyer for Trump Jr., maintains that his client did nothing wrong.

“In my view, this is much ado about nothing. During this busy period, Robert Goldstone contacted Don Jr. in an email and suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front-runner, Hillary Clinton, in her dealings with Russia,” he told The New York Times on Monday. “Don Jr.’s takeaway from this communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr. had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed.”

This information about Goldstone’s email comes as Trump Jr. is facing scrutiny for his meeting with a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin during the campaign, especially as several people related to the Trump campaign are being investigated for possible collusion with the Russians in their hack of the presidential election.