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A4 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 15 July 2017
Russian-American lobbyist joined Trump’s son’s meeting, too

Continued from front mittee and supporting
Clinton, a description that
Federal and congressional Akhmetshin backed up in
investigators are probing his interview with the AP.
possible connections be- In his first public inter-
tween the campaign and view about the meeting,
Moscow. Akhmetshin said he ac-
Akhmetshin has been re- companied Veselnitskaya
ported to have ties to Rus- to Trump Tower where they
sian intelligence, a charac- met an interpreter. He said
terization he dismisses as a he had learned about
“smear campaign.” He’s the meeting only that day
a well-known Washington when Veselnitskaya asked
presence, lobbying for him to attend. He said he
Russian interests trying to showed up in jeans and
undermine the allegations a T-shirt. Veselnitskaya
of a lawyer who died in a brought with her a plas-
Russian prison and is the tic folder with printed-out
namesake of a U.S. sanc- documents that detailed
tions law. what she believed was the
Akhmetshin told the AP he Rinat Akhmetshin is photographed at the Newseum in Washington, June 13, 2016. Rep. Adam flow of illicit funds to the
served in the Soviet military Schiff, ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee says reports that a second Russian Democrats, Akhmetshin
in a unit that was part of person was in a meeting with Donald Trump Jr. last summer “adds another deeply disturbing fact said. Veselnitskaya pre-
counterintelligence but he about this secret meeting.” Akhmetshin confirmed his participation to The Associated Press on sented the contents of the
was never formally trained Friday, July 14, 2017. documents to the Trump
as a spy. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty via AP) associates and suggested
In emails posted by Donald that making the informa-
Trump Jr. earlier this week, go-between stated that ney Natalia Veselnitskaya he was promised. tion public could help the
a music publicist said he the discussion was part of was in the meeting, he has In a statement Sunday, campaign, he said.
arranged the meeting be- a Russian government ef- not disclosed Akhmetshin’s Trump Jr. said the attorney “This could be a good issue
cause a Russian lawyer fort to help the GOP can- presence. The president’s had said she had informa- to expose how the DNC is
wanted to pass on nega- didate. son has publicly discounted tion that people tied to accepting bad money,”
tive information about While Trump Jr. has con- the meeting, saying he did Russia were funding the Akhmetshin recalled her
Democrat Clinton. The firmed that Russian attor- not receive the information Democratic National Com- saying.q

Defense bill calls climate change a national security threat

By RICHARD LARDNER decisively approved a threat, demands rigorous tion’s bid to close military bill authorizes $696 billion in
Associated Press defense policy bill on Fri- oversight of the Pentagon’s bases. Lawmakers voted defense spending for the
WASHINGTON (AP) — The day that declares climate cyber operations and re- 344-81 on Friday to pass the 2018 fiscal year, including
Republican-led House change a national security jects the Trump administra- sweeping legislation. The nearly $30 billion more for
core Pentagon operations
than President Donald
Trump requested.
Yet defense hawks push-
ing the hardest for the big
boost in spending still face
an uphill battle. For the
spending increases to ma-
terialize, Congress first will
have to agree to roll back
a 2011 law that set strict
limits on military spending.
But that won’t be easy. Lift-
ing the so-called budget
caps will face resistance
from Democrats who are
seeking to increase the
budgets for other govern-
ment agencies.
If a budget deal can’t be
reached, Congress may be
forced to fund the military
through the use of stopgap
spending bills. Under these
short-term agreements,
the Pentagon’s budget is
set at current levels and
the military services are
barred from starting new
programs.q