Donald Trump Jr.'s Meeting Had At Least 4 Undisclosed Attendees: Report

WASHINGTON, DC — When Donald Trump Jr. was asked if there were any meetings between his father's presidential campaign and Russians, he categorically denied it. After the New York Times reported Trump Jr. actually set up a campaign meeting with the Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, he said they discussed adoption policy. Eventually, he revealed he took the meeting on a promise that Veselnitskaya would provide dirt on Hillary Clinton from the Russian government, but he insisted she had nothing to solid to offer.

On Friday, multiple media reports indicated that as many as four additional people attended the meeting as Trump Jr. had led the public to believe. (For more White House news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

According to CNN, other attendees include: Rob Goldstone, who set up the meeting over email; a representative for the family who initiated contact with the campaign; an unnamed Russian-language translator; and Rinat Akhmetshinm, a Russian-American lobbyist.

Akhmetshin confirmed his participation to The Associated Press on Friday. Akhmetshin has been reported to have ties to Russian intelligence agencies, though he denies those links.

The meeting has heightened questions about whether Trump's campaign coordinated with the Russian government during the election, which is the focus of federal and congressional investigations. In emails posted by Donald Trump Jr. earlier this week, an associate who arranged the meeting said a Russian lawyer wanted to pass on negative information about Democrat Hillary Clinton and stated that the discussion was part of a Russian government effort to help the GOP candidate.

While Trump Jr. has confirmed that Russian attorney Veselnitskaya was in the meeting, he did not disclose Akhmetshin's presence. President Trump praised his son's account of the meeting for his "transparency." The president's son has tried to discount the meeting, saying that he did not receive the information he was promised.

Akhmetshin said Trump Jr. asked the attorney for evidence of illicit money flowing to the Democratic National Committee, but Veselnitskaya said she didn't have that information. She said the Trump campaign would need to research it more, and after that Trump Jr. lost interest, according to Akhmetshin.

"They couldn't wait for the meeting to end," Akhmetshin said.

Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and current White House senior adviser, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended the meeting.

Asked about Akhmetshin's participation in the meeting, Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni declined comment. A spokesman for Kushner did not respond to inquiries, nor did Trump Jr.'s attorney.

Akhmetshin said the attorney brought with her a plastic folder with printed-out documents. He said he was unaware of the content of the documents or whether they were provided by the Russian government, and it was unclear whether she left the materials with the Trump associates.

Akhmetshin said the meeting was "not substantive" and he "actually expected more serious" discussion.

"I never thought this would be such a big deal to be honest," he told AP.

The Russian government has denied any involvement in or knowledge of the June 2016 meeting. Asked Friday about Akhmetshin, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, told reporters: "We don't know anything about this person."

In reports this week, Akhmetshin has been identified as a former Russian counterintelligence officer. He denied ever serving in such a capacity.

"That is not correct," Akhmetshin said. He said he served in the Soviet Army from 1986 to 1988 after he was drafted but was not trained in spy tradecraft.

Akhmetshin said he has not been contacted by the special counsel's office or the FBI about the meeting with Trump Jr., but said he is willing to talk to investigators.

"I think I have a legal right to tell my story," he said.

By Desmond Butler, Associated Press

AP writers Julie Pace, Chad Day, Eric Tucker and Stephen Braun contributed to this report.

Photo credit: Kathy Willens, Alexander Zemlianichenko/Associated Press