News Round-Up: May 14, 2019

Dan Tai

Some news items you might have missed:

• Instagram: Dan Tai shields his eyes from the sun (...or is he just flexing for us?...) #InstaHunk

• NY Times: Donald Trump Jr. and the Republican-controlled Senate Intelligence Committee reached a deal on Tuesday for the president’s eldest son to sit for a private interview with senators in the coming weeks.

• Daily Telegraph: Former Newcastle Jets player, Andy Brennan, becomes the first Australian male soccer player to come out as gay.

• JoeMyGod: Televangelist Pat Robertson says God will destroy America if The Equality Act passes. Just like when she was going to wipe us out after marriage equality and Gay Days at Disney.

• Bloomberg: Trump Tower, the 36-year-old Manhattan residence, is now considered one of the least desirable luxury buildings in New York City. Over the past two years, sales of condo units in the building have taken losses of up to 20 percent.

• New digital series Model Boy explores "the lives of the wide-eyed young men lured into New York’s notoriously fickle high fashion modeling world."

Check out the first episode below.

Trump Junior: "There Are No Crimes, Only Things People Did In 'Past Lives'"

Donald Trump Jr.

During an appearance on Fox & Friends this morning, Donald Trump Jr. repeated his father's claim that the Mueller investigation is a 'witch hunt' and said folks like former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort were 'regular guys' who couldn't afford large lawyer fees.

He added that 'no actual crimes' have been found by the investigation, only "things that people did in past lives."

“I’ve been hearing this for two years — everyone is going to jail. Meanwhile, they haven’t actually found anything that relates to this. What they did was put incredible pressure on regular guys that couldn’t afford a million dollars in legal fees, and got them to slip up, say something incorrectly. They pretended they were their friends. There are no actual crimes. There’s only things that people did in past lives, in 2006 before we even thought we ever get into this crazy world, and that’s what it is. They’re touting these things as victories — it’s not; and it has been a total farce, the greatest witch hunt in American history.”

.@DonaldJTrumpJr on MUELLER: "There are no actual crimes. There's only things that people did in past lives, in 2006 before we even thought we'd ever get into this crazy world... it's that old Stalinist tactic." pic.twitter.com/a0gWJaBaaa

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 25, 2019

I'm not really sure what 'past lives' he's referring to, but if you broke the law, you broke it. And they have found crimes, and folks have pleaded guilty to them.

And the dates of these crimes range from the mid-2000s to as recent as 2016. So, 'past lives' sounds a lot longer ago than reality shows.

Plus, if the mid-2000s is too far back to consider crimes, why do the Trumps keep bringing up Bill Clinton's alleged affairs in the 1990s?

Financial experts say Manafort is worth upwards of $50 million, so I don't know that I would call him a 'regular' guy who can't afford his legal fees.

Junior also claimed there are "more hoax hate crimes" than there are actual hate crimes.

TRUMP JR on hate crimes: "Man, to me, it seemed like there were many more hoax hate crimes than there are actual."

(There were 7,100 hate crimes in the US in 2017. Hoaxes are extremely rare.) pic.twitter.com/ZSO1mea48I

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 25, 2019

Congresswoman-Elect Claps Back At Trump Junior

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

After one of the biggest upsets in the political world, Democratic Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) is not shy about clapping back at any detractors.

For some reason, Donald Trump Jr. thinks he can take shots at the soon-to-be Congresswoman.

She took a moment to point out to the Junior Trumpster the illogic of such moves.

I have noticed that Junior here has a habit of posting nonsense about me whenever the Mueller investigation heats up.

Please, keep it coming Jr - it’s definitely a “very, very large brain” idea to troll a member of a body that will have subpoena power in a month.

Have fun! https://t.co/oQ6MsdJYCk

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) December 7, 2018

News Round-Up: November 9, 2018

Joel Green (via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Whether it's 'fitness motivation' or a bribe to get you to come read this news round-up, you have to admit InstaHunk Joel Green (above) is crushing it.

• Kansas' New Democratic governor has announced she will restore protections for LGBTQ folks that her predecessor repealed.

• One more LGBTQ victory from Tuesday night's elections - Hennepin County chose openly gay Dave 'Hutch' Hutchinson to be its next Sheriff over incumbent anti-immigration, pro-Trump incumbent Rich Stanek.

• Many were stunned when Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum came up short Tuesday night in his bid to become the next governor of Florida considering he was an average of 6 points ahead of his opponent in the polls. It now appears his and the high-profile race for U.S. Senator are headed for recounts.

• Last year, Donald Trump Jr. testified that he never informed his father about the now-infamous meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian government attorney. New York Magazine reports the Special Counsel investigation has obtained proof that Junior might have lied. Don Jr. has apparently been telling close confidants he expects to be indicted any day now.

• 'Gays for Trump' founder Peter Boykin lost his North Carolina House race Tuesday bigly.

• International superstar Andrea Bocelli proves he's still at the top of his game as his new album ‘Sì’ debuts at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

His duet "Fall On Me" with his (gorgeous) son, Matteo, is exquisite.

And here's his collaboration with pop star Dua Lipa  - "If Only" - from the new collection.

Trump Allegedly Called Junior A "F*ck-Up" For Revealing Trump Tower Russian Meeting

Don Trump Jr. (L) and Donald Trump(R)

According to the New York Daily News, Donald Trump was uber-angry at his junior namesake for releasing emails about his Trump Tower meeting with a Russian government attorney.

President Trump blasted his firstborn son as a “f–kup” after learning he had released emails about a controversial Trump Tower meeting attended by a Kremlin-connected lawyer who had promised dirt on Hillary Clinton, according to Omarosa Manigault Newman’s forthcoming book.

Manigault Newman, who was unceremoniously fired from the White House last December, says the President erupted in anger after she met with him last July and told him she was “sorry to hear” Donald Trump Jr. had posted screengrabs on Twitter of his email exchanges with British publicist Rob Goldstone.

“He is such a f–kup,” Trump said of his son, according to Manigault Newman’s tell-all book, a copy of which was obtained by the Daily News. “He screwed up again, but this time, he’s screwing us all, big-time!” A White House spokeswoman did not immediately return a request for comment. A spokesman for Trump Jr. did not immediately respond either.

White House Lawyers Admit Trump Dictated Cover-Up Letter For His Son

Don Trump Jr. (L) and Donald Trump (R)

Wow.

In a newly released memo, Donald Trump's lawyers admitted for the first time that Trump dictated a statement to deceive the public about his son's June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian government lawyer.

From CNN:

In a confidential letter to special counsel Robert Mueller in January, President Donald Trump’s legal team acknowledged for the first time that Trump “dictated” the first misleading statement put out about his son’s controversial 2016 meeting with Russians at Trump Tower.

“You have received all of the notes, communications and testimony indicating that the President dictated a short but accurate response to the New York Times article on behalf of his son, Donald Trump, Jr.,” the letter said, according to The New York Times, which published a copy of it. “His son then followed up by making a full public disclosure regarding the meeting, including his public testimony that there was nothing to the meeting and certainly no evidence of collusion.”

Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow, NBC interview, 7/16/17: “The President was not — did not — draft the response. The response came from Donald Trump Jr. and — I’m sure — in consultation with his lawyer. … Let me say this — but I do want to be clear — that the President was not involved in the drafting of the statement and did not issue the statement. It came from Donald Trump Jr.”

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, daily press briefing, 8/1/17: “He certainly didn’t dictate, but he — like I said, he weighed in, offered suggestion like any father would do.”

The White House has denied any involvement in the misleading statement which originally described the meeting was about child adoption. Instead, emails showed Russian actors were offering dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr. took the meeting after responding, "I love it!"

In a letter to Mueller, Trump's lawyers said he "dictated a short but accurate response to the New York Times" about the infamous Trump Tower meeting with Russians. But here are FIVE TIMES @JaySekulow and @PressSec previously denied Trump's role in the misleading statement. pic.twitter.com/DINgjFdKvL

— Marshall Cohen (@MarshallCohen) June 2, 2018

Repeat after me: The President's son, son-in-law, and campaign manager met with Russian operatives who promised dirt on Clinton and then the President dictated a knowingly false statement cover up the purpose of the meeting.

Case Closed. https://t.co/kJXvQL1jVn

— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) June 3, 2018

Vanessa Trump Files For Divorce From Donald Trump Jr.

BREAKING: The president’s daughter-in-law has filed for divorce https://t.co/Q64b5U4cwV

— Page Six (@PageSix) March 15, 2018

The New York Daily News reports that Donald Trump Jr. and wife Vanessa are heading to divorce court:

Like father, like son.

Donald Trump Jr.’s wife has filed for divorce.

Vanessa Trump married Trump Jr. in 2005. They have five children.

President Trump has been divorced twice.

The reasons for the divorce filed Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court were not clear. The divorce was listed as “uncontested,” indicating the split was amicable. Trump Jr. has been traveling extensively while running his father’s business with his brother, Eric.

The "uncontested" aspect means she’s not expecting a legal battle over custody of the couple’s five children or their assets.

I get no glee from this. I don't think we should make fun of the parents of five children divorcing.

One last thing, though.

Some folks on Twitter have suggested the possibility that this could be a ploy to move assets out of the family name in case serious legal action against the Trumps were to occur.

Hmm...

Could it be that this is just to temporarily transfer assets out of the family in the event that they're frozen? I know the Trumps aren't the brightest, but they have teams of lawyers…https://t.co/h87BkDq2Db

— William LeGate (@williamlegate) March 15, 2018

Publicist Says He Used "Hot-Button Language" To "Puff Up" His Email Regarding Russian Lawyer Meeting To Trump Jr.

Donald Trump Jr.

Rob Goldstone, the British publicist who was instrumental in setting up the now infamous meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian government lawyer, now says he used "hot-button language" to "puff up" his email to Trump Jr. in order to get him to respond.

From The Hill:

“I should have listened to that little voice in my head. But I never thought in a million years that an email I wrote in about three minutes to Don Jr. would be examined by the world many times over. I just needed to get him to respond,” Goldstone told The Sunday Times in London.

Goldstone, a former tabloid journalist who is now living in Thailand, is the manager for Emin Agalarov, an Azerbaijani-Russian entertainment artist who has boasted of having a close relationship with President Trump.

“If I’m guilty of anything, and I hate the word guilty, it’s hyping the message and going the extra mile for my clients. Using hot-button language to puff up the information I had been given,” Goldstone said. “I didn’t make up the details, I just made them sound more interesting.”

Goldstone exchanged a series of emails with Trump Jr. in 2016 to set up a meeting with a Russian lawyer who was said to have damaging information on then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

“If it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer,” Trump Jr. responded to Goldstone, regarding the meeting.

Goldstone, Trump Jr., White House adviser Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort all attended the meeting.

Virginia: Trump Jr. Urges Republicans To Vote For Republican On Wrong Day - TWICE

Donald Trump Jr.

As voters in Virginia are heading to the polls today to vote, Donald Trump Jr. thought he would do his part to help the Republican candidate for governor, Ed Gillespie.

The junior Trump tweeted out messages like, "Let's take @EdWGillespie across the finish line tomorrow! Virginia: get out and vote for Ed  & entire GOP ticket #VAGov #VA."

The only problem is: today is the election, not tomorrow.

And Jr. tweeted the wrong day TWICE!

Needless to say, the Twitterverse had a field day:

Think you mean today not tomorrow —

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 7, 2017

FFS he’s an idiot. I thought that’s was Eric’s position in the family...

— Snowflakefromhell (@Snowflakefromh1) November 7, 2017

Stupid is as Stupid does. 2 tweets this morning and both times @DonaldJTrumpJr tells people to vote TOMORROW! #ElectionDay pic.twitter.com/9Mtyc68N4U

— Donald J. Trump (@AKADonaldTrump) November 7, 2017

LISTEN TO THE PRESIDENT. VOTE FOR GILLESPIE TOMORROW. THE ELECTION IS TOTALLY NOT TODAY!

— Shawn Brick 🖖 (@shawnbric) November 7, 2017

Dude...

— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) November 7, 2017

That's right GOPers, go vote tomorrow! Don't worry about anything today. Nothing to see here!

— Rob Miller (@Psurob99) November 7, 2017

Good God, dotard in training did it AGAIN.
The election is TODAY, Democrats!
(Republicans, follow Prince DJT Jr's advice and vote tomorrow.) pic.twitter.com/9UmKdE69lj

— Holly O'Reilly (@AynRandPaulRyan) November 7, 2017

Bloomberg: Trump Jr. Hinted At Repealing Russian Sanctions "If We Come To Power"

Don Trump Jr. (L) Donald Trump (R)

Bloomberg reports that Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian government lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. at Trump Tower last year, says Don Jr. indicated a Trump administration would be open to re-examining a law targeting Russia if they "came to power."

Veselnitskaya said she went to the New York meeting to show Trump campaign officials that major Democratic donors had evaded U.S. taxes and to lobby against the so-called Magnitsky law that punishes Russian officials for the murder of a Russian tax accountant who accused the Kremlin of corruption.

“Looking ahead, if we come to power, we can return to this issue and think what to do about it,’’ Trump Jr. said of the 2012 law, she recalled. “I understand our side may have messed up, but it’ll take a long time to get to the bottom of it,” he added, according to her.

Veselnitskaya also said Trump Jr. requested financial documents showing that money that allegedly evaded U.S. taxes had gone to Clinton’s campaign. She didn’t have any and described the 20-minute meeting as a failure.

A lawyer for Trump Jr., Alan Futerfas, said the president’s son had no comment about the interview, the first time Veselnitskaya has offered details about what was discussed at Trump Tower in Manhattan. In the past, Trump Jr. has said that he had wasted his time seeing the lawyer because she provided no useful information.

You'll recall Junior took the meeting having been told Veselnitskaya had dirt that would incriminate Clinton.

Trump Jr. agreed to the meeting saying, “If it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer."

News Round-Up: September 13, 2017

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• My buddy Brandon Pereyda, currently one of the stars (and poster boy) for Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity here in Las Vegas, gets in "mid-show workouts" during his already grueling performances. And yes, everything in the pic is real from the mohawk to the body to everything else :)

• Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, who was removed from office for blocking same-sex marriages in his state, could very well be the next U.S. Senator from the "Yellowhammer" state. And he's not sure if gays should be executed or not for being who they are.

• Russian politician Vyacheslav Nikonov told Russian TV audiences recently that the United States intel community "missed it when Russian intelligence stole the president of the United States.”

• Is it weird that not only does Donald Trump Jr. face the pictures of his children on his desk AWAY from his view, but he also has a pic of HIMSELF right there in the middle? #hmmm

(via Twitter)

• More big stars are signing on for guest spots on the upcoming Will & Grace reboot beginning September 28 on NBC. Jane Lynch and Andrew Rannells will guest star together joining previously announced appearances by Ben Platt, Harry Connick, Jr., Minnie Driver and Bobby Cannavale.

• I'm certain that Los Angeles' 100% score on the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index helped the "city of angels" book the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics & Paralympics.

• Any day is a good day for some fresh Cher. Like this new spot for GAP which pairs the diva with Future on a new take on Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everyday People."

Don Trump Jr. Says He Attended Russian Trump Tower Meeting To Determine Hillary's "Fitness" For Presidency

Don Trump Jr.

The eldest son of Donald Trump gave hours of testimony to Senate investigators today regarding his June 2016 meeting with a "Russian government attorney" regarding information about his father's opponent, Hillary Clinton.

From the New York Times:

Donald Trump Jr. told Senate investigators on Thursday that he set up a June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer because he was intrigued that she might have damaging information about Hillary Clinton, saying it was important to learn about Mrs. Clinton’s “fitness” to be president.

But nothing came of the Trump Tower meeting, he said, and he was adamant that he never colluded with the Russian government’s campaign to disrupt last year’s presidential election.

In a prepared statement during an interview with Senate Judiciary Committee investigators, the younger Mr. Trump said he was initially conflicted when he heard that the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, might have damaging information about Mrs. Clinton. Despite his interest, he said, he always intended to consult with his own lawyers about the propriety of using any information that Ms. Veselnitskaya, who has ties to the Kremlin, gave him at the meeting.

Don Jr. initially told the media that he attended the meeting to talk about Russian adoptions.

Shortly after Don Jr.'s testimony, Sen. Chris Coons send the media the specific statute that addresses lying to Congress.

I'm guessing that's a not-so-subtle hint he didn't believe Uday?

👀 After Don Jr. testimony to Senate Judiciary Cmte, Sen. Chris Coons' office sends out statute on giving false statements to Congress pic.twitter.com/OUdKXMBfqm

— Andrew Desiderio (@desiderioDC) September 7, 2017

Statement today has legal weight - lying to congress is a crime. https://t.co/CY3jXFAnnR

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) September 7, 2017

Special Counsel Focusing On How Much Trump Knew About Son's Meeting With Russian Lawyer

Don Trump Jr. and father

Via HuffPost:

Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly questioning how much President Donald Trump knew about his son Donald Trump Jr.’s 2016 meeting with Kremlin-linked lawyers at Trump Tower and if the president sought to hide the purpose of that meeting, NBC reports.

Trump has denied knowing about the matter until it was revealed by The New York Times. The president did, however, help draft his son’s statement to the press in response to reports about the meeting, according to The Washington Post.

“Even if Trump is not charged with a crime as a result of the statement, it could be useful to Mueller’s team to show Trump’s conduct to a jury that may be considering other charges,” an unnamed source told NBC.

Legal Jeopardy: President Trump Dictated Misleading "Russian Attorney Meeting" Statement Issued By Don Jr.

Donald Trump Jr. (L) and Donald Trump Sr. (R)

According to the Washington Post, President Trump himself dictated the statement his son Donald Jr. would initially release regarding his meeting with a "Russian government attorney."

Whether it is criminal or not, it never looks good when someone who is being criminally investigated works to hide information or mislead. To release this statement under the guise of coming from Don Jr. was an organized effort to mislead the public.

Worse, the Donald's own lawyer twice denied the president's involvement in drafting the statement.

From the Washington Post:

Flying home from Germany on July 8 aboard Air Force One, Trump personally dictated a statement in which Trump Jr. said that he and the Russian lawyer had “primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children” when they met in June 2016, according to multiple people with knowledge of the deliberations. The statement, issued to the New York Times as it prepared an article, emphasized that the subject of the meeting was “not a campaign issue at the time.”

The claims were later shown to be misleading.

Over the next three days, multiple accounts of the meeting were provided to the news media as public pressure mounted, with Trump Jr. ultimately acknowledging that he had accepted the meeting after receiving an email promising damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help his father’s campaign.

The extent of the president’s personal intervention in his son’s response, the details of which have not previously been reported, adds to a series of actions that Trump has taken that some advisers fear could place him and some members of his inner circle in legal jeopardy.

As a refresher, this is the message that Donald Trump dictated for his son to release:

“It was a short introductory meeting. I asked Jared and Paul to stop by. We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years ago and was since ended by the Russian government, but it was not a campaign issue at the time and there was no follow up.

“I was asked to attend the meeting by an acquaintance, but was not told the name of the person I would be meeting with beforehand.”

Randy Rainbow Trolls Trump Jr. With "The Room Where It Happened" Parody

Just in time for Friday! Randy Rainbow delivers again with this uber-clever parody of the Hamilton tune, "The Room Where It Happened."

So many Russians in the room where it happened...

Watch below. #brilliant

Trump Jr., Paul Manafort & Jared Kushner To Testify Before Senate Committees

Don Trump Jr. (L), Paul Manafort (C), Jared Kushner (R)

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has announced that Donald Trump Jr. and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort will testify in an open hearing under oath on July 26.

Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner has agreed to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on July 24, but in a closed door session.

Why is Kushner's testimony happening under wraps as opposed to Junior and Manafort?

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democratic member of the Judiciary Committee, told CNN, “There has been an enormous amount that has been said publicly but it’s not under oath, which means that people are free to omit matters or lie with relative impunity."

Donald Trump Jr. Is "Miserable" With His Dad in White House

Donald Trump Jr.

People.com reports that Donald Trump Jr., who is currently in the spotlight for his June 2016 meeting with a "Russian government attorney" who promised to deliver dirt on Hillary Clinton at the height of the presidential campaign, is "miserable" having his father in the White House and can't wait for the four year term to end.

Long outshone by his sister—first at the Trump Organization and now in the White House, where she and her husband, Jared Kushner, have West Wing offices and White House titles—Don Jr. has had a harder time adapting to life after the election.

Most weekends, he escapes Trump Tower Manhattan to a rustic cabin upstate with his wife, Vanessa, and their five children. He’s a regular at the Riverside Café in Roscoe, New York, where the manager says Trump Jr. is “good people,” doesn’t seek attention, and “never has his hair slicked back like he does on TV.”

A friend of the Trump brothers tells PEOPLE they hate their role as First Sons: “Eric and Don, they never wanted this.”

Adds a source in their circle: “Don can’t do any deals, because he’ll be overly scrutinized. He just goes to work every day and is miserable.”

So are we, Junior, so are we...

Trump Lawyer Blames Secret Service For Not Vetting Russian Lawyer, Secret Service Claps Back

In an interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos, Trump attorney Jay Sekulow attempted to shift the blame for Donald Trump Jr.'s now-infamous meeting with a "Russian government attorney" to the U.S. Secret Service saying the USSS didn't properly vet the visitor.

“Well, I wonder why the Secret Service, if this was nefarious, why the Secret Service allowed these people in. The president had Secret Service protection at that point, and that raised a question with me.”

Secret Service spokesman Mason Brayman clapped back at Sekulow with this statement: “Donald Trump, Jr. was not a protectee of the USSS in June, 2016. Thus we would not have screened anyone he was meeting with at that time.”

President Trump continued to defend his son's meeting telling Twitter today, "Most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don jr attended in order to get info on an opponent. That's politics!"

Most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don jr attended in order to get info on an opponent. That's politics!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2017

Actually, it's quite unusual to agree to take a meeting with a foreign national who tells you in advance they have dirt on your opponent from an enemy of the U.S.

A new ABC/WaPo poll out over the weekend reports 63% of people think the meeting was inappropriate.

Trump continues defending Don Jr. by saying most people would attempt to collude with a foreign government to win an election. https://t.co/l8tWdOM0FP

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 17, 2017

Trump buried the lede. The info was from Russia. Opponent research from enemies is NOT part of American politics.

— Adam Best (@adamcbest) July 17, 2017

No, Mr. @POTUS, it's not politics. More like espionage! I've seen plenty in 40 yrs of politics, as a journalist & strategist. Never this. https://t.co/LW3bcPq5em

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) July 17, 2017

Trump's FBI director nominee testified that anyone who receives such a solicitation believed to be from adversarial govt should call FBI https://t.co/wZH9WxgDFE

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) July 17, 2017

Most Republicans in the Capitol — people who have been in politics for decades — completely disagree with this. https://t.co/kZYSgiirv5

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 17, 2017

Former "Russian Counterintelligence Officer" Attended Trump Junior's Trump Tower Meeting

Donald Trump Jr. and Donald Trump Sr.

NBC News is reporting that there was yet another person - yes, Russian - at June 9, 2016, meeting at Trump Tower where Donald Trump Jr. expected to receive dirt on Hillary Clinton from a "Russsian government attorney."

From NBC News:

The Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. and others on the Trump team after a promise of compromising material on Hillary Clinton was accompanied by a Russian-American lobbyist — a former Soviet counterintelligence officer who is suspected by some U.S. officials of having ongoing ties to Russian intelligence, NBC News has learned.

The lobbyist, who denies any current ties to Russian spy agencies, accompanied the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, to the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower attended by Donald Trump Jr.; Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law; and Paul Manafort, former chairman of the Trump campaign.

The Russian-born American lobbyist served in the Soviet military and emigrated to the U.S., where he holds dual citizenship.

The Associated Press identified the lobbyist as Rinat Akhmetshin, and said he acknowledged attending the meeting, though he said it was not substantive. “I never thought this would be such a big deal, to be honest,” he told the AP.

Alan Futerfas, the attorney retained by Donald Trump Jr., told NBC News two other people accompanied Veselnitskaya to the meeting — someone Futerfas described as a translator and someone he described as a "friend of Emin [Agalarov]’s and maybe as a friend of Natalia [Veselnitskaya]’s.”

Futerfas said he has talked with that individual. "He is a U.S. citizen. He told me specifically he was not working for the Russian government, and in fact laughed when I asked him that question.”

So, a full year of "Russian" whispers and accusations regarding a Trump campaign/Russia connection, and total denials from Team Trump the whole way.

"There was NO contact between anyone in the campaign and any Russians."

"There was NO contact - except those calls between Michael Flynn and the Russian ambassador."

"There was NO contact - except those calls, and Jeff Sessions' contact at that gala event last year.

"There was NO contact - except those calls, and Sessions' gala contact, oh - and that meeting about Russian adoption with Junior at Trump Tower."

"There was NO contact - except those calls, and Sessions' gala contact, and Junior's meeting with the "Russian government attorney," oh - and her friend she brought along who spoke Russian and it turns out used to be “a former Soviet military counterintelligence officer.”

No. This doesn't look sketchy at all.

By the way, this was Don Jr. on July 11th - "This is everything. This is everything."

REMINDER: Don Jr. on July 11

Q: As far as this incident is concerned, this is all of it?
DON JR.: "This is everything. This is everything." pic.twitter.com/1grv2UDWYY

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 14, 2017

Donald Trump Jr. Covers TIME Magazine

Not quite the TIME Magazine cover anyone ever dreams of, is it?

From the article:

It all adds up, in the words of a senior Administration official, to a "sh-tstorm" that no White House staffer even tries to deny. The #FakeNews defense won't work when the Trump family is the one tweeting the potentially incriminating emails. And all of Washington has awakened to the fact that the Russia issue has spiraled beyond anyone's control. There are too many investigations and too many targets--each with his own interests to protect and his own team of attorneys to protect them--and too many enemies created by Trump's bull-in-a-china-shop style. It's not a question anymore of putting them all in a box and shutting the lid. It's only a question of how bad it will get.

I encourage you to read the full article at the link above.