Russian lobbyist admits to attending Trump Jr. meeting

A Russian-American lobbyist said Friday he also attended the June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. In an interview with the Associated Press, Rinat Akhmetshin said he accompanied Veselnitskaya to Trump Tower and heard her tell Trump Jr., senior adviser Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort that she believed illicit funds had been funneled to the Democratic National Committee. When asked if she had proof, Akhmetshin said Veselnitskaya told them the Trump campaign would have to research it more. Akhmetshin said the Trump associates quickly lost interest and called the meeting “not substantive.” “I never thought this would be such a big deal to be honest,” Akhmetshin said. He has denied reports stating he was formerly a member of Russia’s military intelligence service, instead claiming he served in the Soviet Army from 1986 to 1988 but was not trained in espionage.