Why Russian Lawyer Veselnitskaya Changed Her Story On Trump Tower Meeting

Natalia Veselnitskaya, one of the key figures in the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting held by top members of the Trump campaign in an effort to get dirt on Hillary Clinton, originally told Congress that she was a private lawyer without ties to the government.

The New York Times reported Friday, however, that Veselnitskaya misled Congress and the American people when she testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee last November that she works “independently of any governmental bodies.” The Times found evidence that had previously worked with Russia’s chief legal office, and she later confirmed she was an “informant” for the government.

“She said, ‘Well, I have a dual role, I’m a private attorney and I’m an informant.’ From there on, she backtracked.”

Separately, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said on MSNBC that even this word was misleading. “She’s a spy,” he said.