Some defense lawyers involved in the case view Mueller’s latest push as a sign that investigators are focusing on possible obstruction of justice by Trump and several of his closest advisors for their statements about the politically sensitive meeting, rather than for collusion with the Russians.
But the far more interesting part of the story is that Mueller wants details about Ivanka’s actions that day, because, the story explains, she ran into Veselnitskaya and Akhmetshin by the Trump Tower elevator.
[...]
LAT makes it clear (presumably based on Akhmetshin’s story) that the Ivanka exchange happened on
their way out of the meeting with Jr and the others.
It occurred at the Trump Tower elevator as the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and the lobbyist, Rinat Akhmetshin, were leaving the building and consisted of pleasantries, a person familiar with the episode said.
According to Veselnitskaya, she arrived with Akhmetshin, Kaveladze, and her translator; Jr and Manafort were in the board room when she arrived.
I came to the meeting with Anatoly Samochornov, a translator, Irakly Kaveladze, a lawyer of my client who helped to arrange for the meeting, Rinat Akhmetshin, my colleague who was working with me on the Prevezon case. We were met by a big, stout man who introduced himself as Rob and escorted us on the elevator to the boardroom. I saw two men in the boardroom – one of them introduced himself as Donald Trump Jr., while the other did not introduce himself.
She says she met with Kaveladze before the meeting.
I met him personally first on June 9 shortly before the meeting.
We had a phone call and met at a café, I do not remember where and at what café.
Though, admittedly, every single thing she says about Kaveladze is sketchy[...]
Nowhere in Veselnitskaya’s story addresses how or in whose company she left the meeting.
But the LAT report suggests she left with Akhmetshin. The report mentions nothing about the presence of Goldstone or Kaveladze, waiting at the elevator, chatting up Ivanka.
So did the two Agalarov employees stay later, which would leave them in a room alone with Don Jr and Paul Manafort?
