The Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer who met with President Donald Trump’s eldest son and campaign officials in Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign was charged with obstruction in a separate case in New York, CNN reports.
The charges, related to a money laundering case, detailed her ties to the Russian government.
Natalya Veselnitskaya, who met with Donald Trump Jr., Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, and campaign chief Paul Manafort to offer “dirt” on Hillary Clinton, was indicted by federal prosecutors in New York.
According to the indictment, Veselnitskaya made a false claim to the federal court in New York about a Russian investigation into a money laundering case, hiding that she "had participated in drafting those supposed independent investigative findings in secret cooperation with a senior Russian prosecutor.”
Veselnistkaya is not in the United States and is unlikely to ever appear in court unless she leaves Russia.
New case highlights questions about Trump Tower meeting:
“Emails released by Trump Jr. show that he agreed to the meeting after being told the ‘crown prosecutor of Russia’ wanted to give the Trump campaign incriminating information about Clinton. Instead, Trump Jr. later said, Veselnitskaya focused on the repeal of the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law that sanctions Russians accused of violating human rights,” CNN reported.
Veselnitskaya has since admitted that she has worked with Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika as part of her lobbying of the Trump team.
Mueller mum on probe:
“Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating the Trump Tower meeting as part of his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The special counsel's office declined to comment on whether it contributed to the Veselnitskaya investigation or referred it to the US Attorney's office,” CNN reported. “The indictment of Veselnitskaya appears to stem directly from the New York case concerning the Cyprus-based investment firm Prevezon Holdings Ltd. and its Russian owner, Denis Katsyv. Veselnitskaya attended proceedings in the US for the case, including a hearing in Manhattan on the same day of the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting.”
