by Jay Sekulow, one of Donald Trump Jr’s legal advisors, asked on ABC News’ “This Week,” why the US Secret Service had allowed Trump Jr. to meet Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who is connected to the Kremlin.
“Well, I wonder why the Secret Service, if this was nefarious, why the Secret Service allowed these people in. The president had Secret Service protection at that point, and that raised a question with me,” he said.
The USSS answered the question, explaining that Trump Jr was not under their protection in June 2016, even if his father was receiving government protection at the time. The USSS added that they also would not have screened any of his meetings, either.
“Donald Trump, Jr. was not a protectee of the USSS in June 2016. Thus, we would not have screened anyone he was meeting with at that time,” Secret Service spokesman Mason Brayman said in a statement.
Paul Manafort, Trump Sr’s then-campaign chairman, advisor and son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Trump Jr., all met with Veselnitskaya. According to emails released last week by Trump Jr., the trio met with Kremlin connected Veselnitskaya who said she had damaging evidence about then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
