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Donald Trump Jr. tweeted his emails about meeting with a Russian lawyer to get dirt on Hillary Clinton, in response to shocking New York Times reports. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Donald Trump Jr.'s Email Thread 'Could Hardly Have Been More Explicit'
President's son preempts damning reporting by New York Times by releasing damning email thread
Jul 11, 2017
In what one commentator said "may be the most extraordinary development yet in this whole Trump-Russia saga," new reporting and an email thread released by Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday has cast new and incriminating light on possible collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Russian officials.
Amid a flurry of reports that already had legal experts suggesting "treason" and "collusion," Donald Trump Jr. tweeted what he claimed was the full email exchange between himself and the intermediary who help arrange a meeting with Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.
\u201c"This may be the most extraordinary development yet in this whole Trump-Russia saga," @KenDilanianNBC https://t.co/MSuPNd14ar\u201d— MSNBC (@MSNBC) 1499787099
The release of the thread by Don Jr. on Twitter came just ahead of a published New York Times story that contained excerpts from the emails, which the newspaper said "could hardly have been more explicit." And while the president's son claimed he released the thread "in order to be fully transparent," Times sources indicated the tweets were prompted by the newspaper's request for comment.
\u201c@DonaldJTrumpJr Confirmed from an NYT source: "We were preparing to publish" story -- Don Jr. camp "asked for more time" to comment "and then pre-empted us"\u201d— Brian Stelter (@Brian Stelter) 1499786011
Don Jr.'s also tweeted an official statement, which included an explicit admission of his expectations going into the meeting: "The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was Political Opposition Research," he said.
In the emails from the intermediary, Rob Goldstone, Trump Jr. was told that "The Crown prosecutor of Russia...offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father."
Goldstone then added, "This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."
To that message, the president's son responded: "If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer."
Goldstone's comments to Don Jr. also suggest he had means of contacting Donald Trump directly, saying: "I can also send this info to your father via Rhona [Graff, the president's assistant], but it is ultra sensitive so wanted to send to you first."
Donald Trump Jr.'s tweets containing the full email thread, are below:
\u201cHere's my statement and the full email chain\u201d— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.) 1499785210
\u201cHere is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints).\u201d— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.) 1499785310
The response online was swift and brutal.
\u201c@DonaldJTrumpJr col\u00b7lu\u00b7sion\nk\u0259\u02c8lo\u035eoZH\u0259n/Submit\nnoun\nsecret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.\u201d— Amanda Guinzburg (@Amanda Guinzburg) 1499788768
David Turnbull had an amusing explanation for Jr.'s tweets, but the Trump Organization confirmed their authenticity to the AP.
\u201cI just don't understand why Don Jr. would post those emails? Seriously. Why? Is he drunk? I honestly can't think of another explanation.\u201d— David Turnbull (@David Turnbull) 1499788118
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In what one commentator said "may be the most extraordinary development yet in this whole Trump-Russia saga," new reporting and an email thread released by Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday has cast new and incriminating light on possible collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Russian officials.
Amid a flurry of reports that already had legal experts suggesting "treason" and "collusion," Donald Trump Jr. tweeted what he claimed was the full email exchange between himself and the intermediary who help arrange a meeting with Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.
\u201c"This may be the most extraordinary development yet in this whole Trump-Russia saga," @KenDilanianNBC https://t.co/MSuPNd14ar\u201d— MSNBC (@MSNBC) 1499787099
The release of the thread by Don Jr. on Twitter came just ahead of a published New York Times story that contained excerpts from the emails, which the newspaper said "could hardly have been more explicit." And while the president's son claimed he released the thread "in order to be fully transparent," Times sources indicated the tweets were prompted by the newspaper's request for comment.
\u201c@DonaldJTrumpJr Confirmed from an NYT source: "We were preparing to publish" story -- Don Jr. camp "asked for more time" to comment "and then pre-empted us"\u201d— Brian Stelter (@Brian Stelter) 1499786011
Don Jr.'s also tweeted an official statement, which included an explicit admission of his expectations going into the meeting: "The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was Political Opposition Research," he said.
In the emails from the intermediary, Rob Goldstone, Trump Jr. was told that "The Crown prosecutor of Russia...offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father."
Goldstone then added, "This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."
To that message, the president's son responded: "If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer."
Goldstone's comments to Don Jr. also suggest he had means of contacting Donald Trump directly, saying: "I can also send this info to your father via Rhona [Graff, the president's assistant], but it is ultra sensitive so wanted to send to you first."
Donald Trump Jr.'s tweets containing the full email thread, are below:
\u201cHere's my statement and the full email chain\u201d— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.) 1499785210
\u201cHere is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints).\u201d— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.) 1499785310
The response online was swift and brutal.
\u201c@DonaldJTrumpJr col\u00b7lu\u00b7sion\nk\u0259\u02c8lo\u035eoZH\u0259n/Submit\nnoun\nsecret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.\u201d— Amanda Guinzburg (@Amanda Guinzburg) 1499788768
David Turnbull had an amusing explanation for Jr.'s tweets, but the Trump Organization confirmed their authenticity to the AP.
\u201cI just don't understand why Don Jr. would post those emails? Seriously. Why? Is he drunk? I honestly can't think of another explanation.\u201d— David Turnbull (@David Turnbull) 1499788118
In what one commentator said "may be the most extraordinary development yet in this whole Trump-Russia saga," new reporting and an email thread released by Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday has cast new and incriminating light on possible collusion between the Trump presidential campaign and Russian officials.
Amid a flurry of reports that already had legal experts suggesting "treason" and "collusion," Donald Trump Jr. tweeted what he claimed was the full email exchange between himself and the intermediary who help arrange a meeting with Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.
\u201c"This may be the most extraordinary development yet in this whole Trump-Russia saga," @KenDilanianNBC https://t.co/MSuPNd14ar\u201d— MSNBC (@MSNBC) 1499787099
The release of the thread by Don Jr. on Twitter came just ahead of a published New York Times story that contained excerpts from the emails, which the newspaper said "could hardly have been more explicit." And while the president's son claimed he released the thread "in order to be fully transparent," Times sources indicated the tweets were prompted by the newspaper's request for comment.
\u201c@DonaldJTrumpJr Confirmed from an NYT source: "We were preparing to publish" story -- Don Jr. camp "asked for more time" to comment "and then pre-empted us"\u201d— Brian Stelter (@Brian Stelter) 1499786011
Don Jr.'s also tweeted an official statement, which included an explicit admission of his expectations going into the meeting: "The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was Political Opposition Research," he said.
In the emails from the intermediary, Rob Goldstone, Trump Jr. was told that "The Crown prosecutor of Russia...offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father."
Goldstone then added, "This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."
To that message, the president's son responded: "If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer."
Goldstone's comments to Don Jr. also suggest he had means of contacting Donald Trump directly, saying: "I can also send this info to your father via Rhona [Graff, the president's assistant], but it is ultra sensitive so wanted to send to you first."
Donald Trump Jr.'s tweets containing the full email thread, are below:
\u201cHere's my statement and the full email chain\u201d— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.) 1499785210
\u201cHere is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints).\u201d— Donald Trump Jr. (@Donald Trump Jr.) 1499785310
The response online was swift and brutal.
\u201c@DonaldJTrumpJr col\u00b7lu\u00b7sion\nk\u0259\u02c8lo\u035eoZH\u0259n/Submit\nnoun\nsecret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.\u201d— Amanda Guinzburg (@Amanda Guinzburg) 1499788768
David Turnbull had an amusing explanation for Jr.'s tweets, but the Trump Organization confirmed their authenticity to the AP.
\u201cI just don't understand why Don Jr. would post those emails? Seriously. Why? Is he drunk? I honestly can't think of another explanation.\u201d— David Turnbull (@David Turnbull) 1499788118
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