Russian lawyer from 2016 Trump Tower meeting charged with obstruction of justice in an unrelated case
Prosecutors have charged Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who infamously met with Donald Trump Jr. at Trump Tower in 2016, with obstruction of justice, CNN reports.
Veselnitskaya is accused of secretly working with a senior Russian prosecutor while representing a client in a tax fraud case. She allegedly put together findings from the Russian government that were presented in court as being independent. Although the charges don't have to do with the Trump Tower meeting, this development does have some relevance in that, as The New York Times writes, it backs up the idea that Veselnitskaya has "deep ties" to the Russian government, which has been previously reported.
In fact, although Veselnitskaya has denied working for the Kremlin, she called herself an "informant" for Russia's prosecutor general in an interview, the Times reports. Trump Jr. met with Veselnitskaya during his father's presidential campaign to get dirt on Hillary Clinton from the Russian government.
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CNN notes that Veselnitskaya is living in Russia, so this case will probably not move much further. Reached for comment by The Wall Street Journal, Veselnitskaya said she's on vacation and hasn't looked at the charges against her.
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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