Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya poses for a photo during an interview in Moscow on November 8, 2016. (AFP/Kommersant Photo/Yury Martyanov)
MOSCOW, Russia — The Russian lawyer at the heart of the scandal over a meeting with US President Donald Trump’s eldest son claimed Wednesday she is ready to testify to the US Congress.
Lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya attended a meeting with Donald Trump Jr. during the presidential election campaign in June 2016 at which it appears he expected to get incriminating information from the Russian government on his father’s rival Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Trump Jr. had been told by email that a “Russian government attorney” would provide damaging details. Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and son-in-law Jared Kushner also attended.
Veselnitskaya has rejected claims that she was working on behalf of the Russian government, while Trump Jr. insists that no sensitive information was passed on.
This file photo taken on September 26, 2016, shows then-Republican nominee Donald Trump, right, standing with his son Donald Trump Jr. after the first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. (AFP Photo/Jewel Samad)
In an interview with the Kremlin-controlled RT television channel, Veselnitskaya said she was “ready” to speak to the US Congress about the meeting “if my security can be assured.”
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The firestorm around the meeting is the latest chapter in the scandal over possible ties between the Trump campaign and Moscow.
US intelligence agencies have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of approving a hacking and influence campaign to sway the November 2016 vote, allegations rejected by the Kremlin.
Trump’s administration is currently under investigation by both Congress and the FBI over any possible collusion.
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