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Special adviser Robert Mueller asked about the relationship between President Trump and the billionaire Russian-Azerbaijani family who organized the June 2016 meeting between Trump campaigners and a Russian lawyer linked to the Kremlin, according to a participant.
Rob Goldstone, who worked as a publicist for the Agalarov family and contacted Donald Trump Jr. in June 2016 on their behalf, spent about eight hours talking to Mueller's team in March. Weeks later, he testified before the grand jury of the special council probing Russian interference in the 2016 elections and any possible collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow. The president and Russia deny collusion.
In his 2016 email to the president's son organizing the meeting, Goldstone said the Russian lawyer had damaging information about the Democratic Hillary Clinton that had been collected by the Russian government for the purpose of help Mr. Trump.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, he said that Mueller's investigators were particularly interested in the beginning of Mr. Trump's relationship with the Agalarov family, as well as Trump's 2013 trip to Moscow to the Miss Universe contest. The Agalarov sponsored the contest, which Mr. Trump was co-owner at the time.
"They wanted to know what I thought their relationship was with the assets, and what was their relationship with Russian officials, [including] the Kremlin, "Goldstone said.
Reflecting on his role in one of the key episodes of the Special Advisor's investigation, Mr. Goldstone wrote a book entitled "Pop Stars, Pageants and Presidents: How an E-mail Wrapped My Life". Mr. Goldstone describes his testimony before Mr. Mueller's team and grand jury.
During their meeting with Mr Goldstone, the investigators asked about the relationship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Aras Agalarov, whose real estate company has won several state contracts in Russia and to which Mr Putin has federation. Russia, a high-level civilian award.
Goldstone said he had never heard former Agalarov describe himself as a friend of the Russian president, but said he was "very proud" of the plans he had made for the state. .
Last fall, Mueller asked Emin Agalarov to talk with him, which was not done yet last month, according to an Agalarov lawyer. The lawyer did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
A list of questions Mr. Mueller would like to ask the President that he provided to Mr. Trump's legal team this year concerns Mr. Trump's communication and relations with representatives of the Russian government and the Agalarov family during the meeting. 2013 trip to Moscow.
The investigators asked Mr. Goldstone to "cross" Mr. Trump's visit to Moscow, during which he sought – and failed – to meet with Mr. Putin and to discuss with partners potential Trump Tower in the Russian capital.
"They wanted to know about the idea of a Trump tower, how that happened," Goldstone said. He said they were also interested in the time that Mr. Trump had not spent with the group, which Mr. Goldstone said was a "small four hour period".
Three years after Trump's visit to Moscow, Mr Goldstone wrote the June 2016 email to Mr Trump Jr. to tell him that a senior Russian prosecutor had "proposed to provide the Trump campaign with official documents and information incriminating Hillary. [Clinton] and his relations with Russia and would be very useful to your father. He added that the prosecutor had communicated this offer to the Agalarov.
In his book, Goldstone describes email as "a hyperbole that catches the eye."
Mr. Trump Jr. responded by proposing to speak to young Mr. Agalarov about this. "[If] it's what you say I like, "wrote the youngest, Mr. Trump, seeming to suggest that the information would be nice to go out" later in the summer ".
Later that month, Trump Jr. met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower, as well as senior campaigners Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner. Ms. Veselnitskaya brought with her a Russian-American lobbyist and a translator. Mr. Goldstone also attended the meeting.
According to the testimony of participants at the meeting, Ms. Veselnitskaya did not provide damaging information about Mrs. Clinton and sought to turn the conversation into a Magnitsky law, a 2012 US law that punishes Russian officials accused of human rights violations. the man. Russia has banned Americans from adopting Russian children in response to the passing of US law.
Mr. Goldstone stated that the investigators had asked detailed questions about what had happened at the meeting, including asking him to "draw a chart showing who was sitting where".
More than a year after the Trump Tower meeting was announced last summer – a day when Goldstone was in Athens, he wrote: Goldstone remains frustrated about his role.
"Although I can be angry at Emin, I am frustrated at not listening to that little voice in my head," Goldstone said. "I should have listened more and just said," Do it yourself. "
Mr. Goldstone stated that he had not been contacted by Mr. Mueller since his appearance before the grand jury.
Write to Rebecca Ballhaus at [email protected]
