Rob Goldstone, the British publicist who initiated the June 9, 2016 Trump Tower meeting between Donald Trump Jr., Natalia Veselnitskaya, and six others, reached out to Donald Trump about a year earlier to invite him to Russia. The email to Rhona Graff, Trump's longtime assistant, asked if Trump would want to come to Moscow for Aras Agalarov's birthday celebration and a meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Goldstone, who represents Aras' pop start son Emin, reportedly met with Congressional investigators Thursday.
Goldstone’s brief 2015 exchange with Graff began on July 22, when he wrote to invite the elder Trump to attend Aras Agalarov’s 60th birthday party. Goldstone asked if Trump would send a congratulatory note to Agalarov.
Graff responded two days later, telling Goldstone that Trump would probably not be able to attend the party.
“Given his presidential campaign, it’s highly unlikely he would have time on his calendar to go to Moscow,” she wrote. “Regardless, I am sure he will want to write a congratulatory note.”
“I totally understand re: Moscow,” Goldstone wrote back. “Unless maybe he would welcome a meeting with President Putin which Emin would set up.”
The email chain does not indicate that Graff responded.
Trump did not attend Aras' birthday party but did send the billionaire developer a personal note.
Agalarov had arranged for Trump and Putin to connect during the Miss Universe pageant in 2013, but the Russian president cancelled at the last minute.
“That was a very complicated situation then because I promised Trump that he would meet Putin and then there will be no meeting,” Agalarov said. The developer said he asked Putin’s protocol director to get on the phone with Trump and explain the cancellation personally.
Later, Putin sent Trump a warm note and a traditional Russian wooden box, Agalarov said.
Full story: Music promoter dangled possible Putin meeting for Trump during campaign (WaPo)