A Russian oligarch and his pop star son gave Donald Trump a ‘sizable birthday gift’ that a British music publicist inquired about sending him the day after the infamous Trump Tower meeting in 2016.
The email revealing the logistics around transporting the gift – a painting – were unsealed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.
Rob Goldstone, who helped broker the June 9, 2016 meeting with Russian in Trump Tower that he later called ’embarrassing,’ made inquiries about the gift a day after the meeting.
Goldstone told Trump’s longtime assistant Rhona Graff it was ‘a fairly sizable birthday gift for Mr. Trump.’
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The Aras and Emin Agalarov sent a bithday present believed to be a painting to Trump in 2016. Rob Goldsonte lined it up the day after the infamous Trump Tower meeting with Russians
He addressed her with what he called a ‘delivery question,’ and referred to the Agalarovs, who hosted Trump at the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant in Moscow, by their first names.
Aras Agalarov is a billionaire real estate developer with projects throughout Russia. The pageant was held in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall, which he owns. Emin helped pass on the information about dirt on Hillary Clinton that set the Trump Tower meeting in motion.
‘Emin and Aras have a fairly sizable birthday gift for Mr. Trump and I would like to know exactly how and where we should deliver it to on Tuesday?’ Goldstone wrote. Trump’s birthday is June 14.
‘Emin and Aras have a fairly sizable birthday gift for Mr. Trump and I would like to know exactly how and where we should deliver it to on Tuesday?’ Goldstone wrote
Crocus Group First Vice President, singer Emin Agalarov attends a ceremony to unveil a plaque in memory of Soviet and Azerbaijani singer Muslim Magomayev marking his 75th birth anniversary, in Moscow’s Leontyevsky Lane
Goldstone was asked about his email regarding the gift during Senate testimony
He said he ran into ‘Keith’ – a reference to Trump’s then head of security Keith Schiller – and reference ‘TSA-style scanning’ at Trump Tower, inquiring if there were any specific delivery instructions.
Goldstone got asked about the email in testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
‘It was a painting,’ he told investigators.
Asked if there was anything else, he responded: ‘There was a note, I believe.’
The British expat with a residence in New Jersey who said he lived in Thailand said he didn’t deliver it because ‘I was heading to Montreal or somewhere, and so I passed it on to Roman Beniaminov in his role as Emin’s assistant to take care of it.’
He said he had ‘no idea’ if there was anything else included.
He was vague when asked about a time he discussed it with Beniaminov, referring to the artwork as a ‘thing.’
Crocus Group President Aras Agalarov, a billionaire real estate developer, sent a present to Trump during the campaign
HELP ME RHONA: Goldstone made inquiries to Trump’s longtime aide Rhona Graff about delivery
‘Well, both he and I both knew what was going to be delivered, because we had seen images of this thing. And other than that, no,’ he said.
‘And so as far as you know, it was just a painting a gift. And a note. And a birthday note,’ he said.
Goldstone helped set up a Trump Tower meeting with Russians under the expectation they had ‘smoking gun’ material on Hillary Clinton, he told lawmakers.
Instead, after a Russian lawyer offered a meandering presentation and nothing deemed of value, he told the president’s son the meeting was ’embarrassing.’
Goldstone used the term ‘smoking gun’ to describe ‘damaging’ information being dangled by Emin Agalarov, then got asked about it later in his interview with Senate Judiciary Committee lawmakers, in a transcript released Wednesday.
British music PR Rob Goldstone helped set up the meeting and arranged for gift delivery. He said the gift included a painting and a note
A picture taken on November 8, 2016 shows Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya speaking during an interview in Moscow. She ‘infuriated’ Jared Kushner with her meandering presentation, after a promise of dirt on Hillary Clinton
‘Yes, the smoking gun. I mean, I just sent somebody an email that says I’m setting up a meeting for someone that is going to bring you damaging information about somebody who was running to become the President of the United States,’ Goldstone testified.
‘I thought that was worthy of the words smoking gun, yes,’ he said.
The meeting was attended by Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, Paul Manafort, and Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, among others.
According to testimony by Goldstone, Veselnitskaya ‘infuriated’ Kushner with her meandering presentation. After attendees expressed confusion about it, she ran through her material again, he testified, returning to the U.S. Magnitsky Act.
‘After a few minutes of this labored presentation, Jared Kushner, who is sitting next to me, appeared somewhat agitated by this and said, I really have no idea what you’re talking about. Could you please focus a bit more and maybe just start again?’ Goldstone testified.