Celebrating prematurely over the Donald Trump Jr. brief June 9, 2016 meeting with Russia lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, the U.S. media thought they had their “smoking gun,” proving Trump campaign collusion with Kremlin. While the Democrat-media narrative goes on, it’s clear that it’s not rolling out as expected. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied any knowledge of Veselnitskaya, emphatically dismissing the New York Times story connecting her to the Kremlin. Set up by New York attention-seeking music publicist Rob Goldstone, the New York Post brutally called Don Jr. an “idiot” for getting duped by Goldstone. Goldstone’s email train with Don Jr. was no naïve, so gullible, so misleading, so grandiose, it captured Don. Jr.’s attention. Goldstone promised Russian government’s fresh dirt on former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Calling Don Jr. innocent, Trump poured cold water the media feeding frenzy over an easily explained meeting with Veselnitskaya. “I think he was misled about my role, myself and about my request to everyone,” said Veselnitskaya. “I have never had compromising materials on Hillary Clinton. I have never pronounced such a word,” disputing the idea that she offered anything derogatory on Hillary. Whether Don Jr. was duped by Goldstone or not, it looks like Goldstone’s overture to Don. Jr. could have been set up by Democratic operatives to catch the Trump campaign in a scandal. Hillary’s main anti-Trump talking points were that he was (a) unfit for duty and (b) a Russian puppet. Setting up Don Jr. with a bogus meeting promising dirt on Hillary begins to make sense. “I don’t know whether he was upset or not. He did not show any emotion, but he was disappointed,” said Veselnitskaya.
All Goldstone’s email train shows is that Don Jr. looked for opposition research to help his father. At the time of the June 9 meeting, Russian hysteria had not hit epidemic proportions on Capitol Hill. Don Jr. admitted to Sean Hannity July 11 that he probably would do things differently today. “I didn’t turn out to be the person that was possibly presented to him in a totally different light,” said Veselnitskaya. “My sense is there was disappointment and nothing more,” refuting the Democrat and media narrative that her meeting with Don. Jr. proved Russian collusion with the 2016 campaign. Veselnitskaya has only bad news for the press, looking not at the facts but to confirm their narrative of Trump collusion with Russia. Offering Trump Jr. the “Crown prosecutor of Russia” for dirt on Hillary, Goldstone hyped the significance of Veselnitskaya meeting, when she had nothing to offer.
Calling Veselnitskaya’s interview with ABC News’ David Muir inconsistent with Goldstone’s emails with Don Jr., it shows that media will stretch any set of facts to fit their agenda. “I love it,” Trump Jr. emailed Goldstone, swallowing hook, line and sinker the publicist’s smoke blowing. Whether or not Democrats or the media accept what happened with Veselnitskaya, Special Counsel former FBI Director Robert Mueller will have to follow the facts, not political hype. Trump Jr. told reporters Sunday that the meeting was set up by Goldstone and he took it, largely for any opposition research value. No matter how much Democrats and the media want Trump Jr. meeting as the smoking gun proving Russian collusion, there’s nothing there other than Trump Jr. seeking dirt on Hillary. Veselnitskyay could’ve come from Kazakhstan—or the moon—it wouldn’t matter.
When the dust settles on Trump Jr.’s June 9, 2016 meeting with Veselnitskaya, Democrats and the media won’t have much more than another embarrassment for the Trump White House. Like other gaffes for the last six months, there’s a big difference from ineptness and criminal conduct. Calling Trump Jr.’s actions treason, Democrats due the Party a disservice by crying wolf without having any real facts. Trump Jr. admitted to Hannity July 11 that in 20/20, he would have done things differently. With the Russian hysteria sweeping Washington, it doesn’t do U.S.-Russian relations any good accusing the Moscowof meddling in the U.S. election. Trump did his utmost at the G20 in Hamburg to try to reset U.S.-Russian relations. All the hype of Trump collusion with Russia in the 2016 election, and anti-Russian chatter in Congress, throws monkey wrench into plans to reset U.S.-Russian Relations
Clearing out all the smoke, Trump Jr. looks like he was set up by Rob Goldstone for whatever reason. Whether he cashed in on the deal or was paid by Democratic operations to set up Don Jr., isn’t known yet. What’s known is that the facts don’t support the Democrat and media narrative that Trump Jr. engaged in collusion with the Russian government. Reporting the story July 10, the New York Times emphatically said Veselnitskaya worked for the Kremlin. Unless they have proof of her employment, the New York Times went out on a limb, stretching the facts. If Veselnitskaya was actually working for herself, it doesn’t fit the Democrat and media narrative that she’s part of the Kremlin’s propaganda machine. When you look at the facts, there’s nothing there other than Trump Jr. looking for dirt on Hillary, something entirely expected in the heat of a campaign.
