Aside from the recent revelation that ex-campaign manager Paul Manafort tipped off the authorities to Donald Trump Jr.’s covert meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower, little else about this has been reported recently. The controversy regarding President Trump’s hand in crafting his eldest son’s statement on the matter quickly died down, while news of a raid on Manafort’s home in July has dominated the most recent cycle. Yet the congressional probe into the Trump campaign’s possible collusion with Russia remains, and it seems they want to bring someone else into the fold.
According to ABC News, that someone else is Trump’s longtime personal secretary Rhona Graff, who now serves as a senior vice president in the Trump Organization. A 30-year veteran of the family’s organization, Graff has long been a “gatekeeper” for Trump — even throughout the presidential campaign and his first few months at the White House — and congressional investigators want to talk to her after he name popped up in the emails Don Jr. released online. In one of his exchanges with British publicist Rob Goldstone, the latter wrote, “I can also send this info to your father via Rhona.”
ABC News notes that Graff was never a part of the email chain. “Since her name is in the email,” cautions House Intelligence Committee member Rep. Peter King (R-New York), “people will want her to answer questions.” Besides, he told the news outlet, “If you go into Trump Tower, you’re going to mention her name.” Of course Graff has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but considering her position of power within the family’s business organization (and Goldstone’s mentioning her by name), investigators still want to talk to her about the June 9th meeting.
(Via ABC News)