Newly-acquired emails reveal that a close associate of Donald Trump, Jr. was in contact with the British publicist who arrange the 2016 Trump Tower meeting in the months following it.
As CNN reports, the timeline presented by these emails contradicts Trump Jr.'s assertion that after the promised "dirt" on Hillary Clinton was not delivered by the Russians in attendance at the June 2016 meeting, they had no more contact.
Congressional investigators discovered the existence of the post-meeting emails during Trump Jr.'s eight-hour hearing before the House Intelligence Committee. None of the emails were sent directly to the president's son, and were sent between British publicist Rob Goldstone and then-campaign aide Dan Scavino, who is now the White House's social media director and assistant to President Donald Trump.
In one email, Goldstone suggests to Scavino that Trump create a profile on Russia's VK social network, and asserts that "Don and [then-campaign chairman] Paul [Manafort]" approved of the idea. This email, CNN notes, "reveals a previously undisclosed topic that was discussed at the meeting."
The purposes for Goldstone's suggestion to Scavino appear to vary based on source -- one told CNN that he said it was a "cute marketing idea," while another said he pitched it "as a way [for Trump] to connect with the many Russian-Americans who use the site."
Watch a CNN panel discuss these revelations below.
