Washington (CNN) – The British publicist who arranged the June 2016 meeting with Russians and Donald Trump Jr. sent multiple emails to a Russian participant and a member of Donald Trump’s inner circle later that summer, multiple sources told CNN, the first indication there was any follow-up after the meeting.
The emails raise new questions for congressional investigators about what was discussed at Trump Tower. Trump Jr. has for months contended that after being promised he would get dirt on Hillary Clinton, the brief meeting focused almost exclusively on the issue of Russian adoptions, saying there was no discussion with the participants after that session.
The emails from the publicist, Rob Goldstone, were discovered by congressional investigators and raised at Wednesday’s classified hearing with Trump Jr., who said he could not recall the interactions, several sources said. None of the newly disclosed emails were sent directly to Trump Jr. They are bound to be a subject during Goldstone’s closed-door meetings with the House and Senate intelligence panels, which are expected to take place as early as next week.
An email from Goldstone to senior Trump aide Dan Scavino, now the White House director of social media, reveals a previously undisclosed topic that was discussed at the meeting. It encourages Scavino to get candidate Trump to create a page on the Russian social networking site VK, telling him that “Don and Paul” were on board with the idea — a reference to then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump Jr.
One source says Goldstone pitched the idea to Scavino as a way to connect with the many Russian-Americans who use the site. Another source said Goldstone presented it as a “cute marketing idea” and was passing along the idea for an acquaintance at the Russian social media site. That source also said Goldstone mentioned the idea at the end of the Trump Tower meeting, as everyone was leaving, though Goldstone continued to push this proposal in emails in the weeks following.
A source familiar with the matter says Goldstone did not talk about the meeting with Trump Jr. after they left Trump Tower. Trump Jr. has said he did not follow up on the meeting.
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EXCLUSIVE @CNN: Previously undisclosed emails show follow-up after Trump Tower meeting. https://t.co/eENNPKcU82
— Kremlin Trolls CI (@KremlinTrolls) December 7, 2017
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