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Lynch distances herself from Russian lawyer after Trump attack
The Hill ^

Posted on 07/13/2017 8:18:32 PM PDT by TigerClaws

Former attorney general Loretta Lynch on Thursday distanced herself from the Russian lawyer that gained passage into the U.S. before landing a meeting with Donald Trump Jr. during the 2016 campaign.

At a press conference in France earlier Thursday, President Trump blamed the Obama administration and Lynch’s Justice Department for allowing Natalia Veselnitskaya into the country.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Lynch said the former attorney general “does not have any personal knowledge of Ms. Veselnitskaya's travel.”

In his remarks in France, Trump appeared to cite a report in The Hill that the Justice Department issued Veselnitskaya a special immigration waiver so that she could defend her client, a Russian firm, in an asset forfeiture case in New York.

The U.S. Attorney’s office in New York told The Hill that it let Veselnitskaya into the country on a grant of immigration parole from October 2015 to early January 2016 after her initial request for a visa had been denied.

Court records show that when Veselnitskaya sought permission to extend her stay, the U.S. attorney at the hearing told the judge that the special visa the Russian lawyer received was part of a “discretionary act that the statute allows the attorney general to do in extraordinary circumstances.”

The U.S. attorney described the grant of parole immigration as extremely rare.

“In October the government bypassed the normal visa process and gave a type of extraordinary permission to enter the country called immigration parole,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni said to the judge during a hearing on Jan. 6, 2016.

“That's a discretionary act that the statute allows the attorney general to do in extraordinary circumstances,” Monteleoni said. “In this case, we did that so that Mr. Katsyv could testify. And we made the further accommodation of allowing his Russian lawyer into the country to assist.”

Lynch’s spokesperson did not address the specifics of that case, but said: “The State Department issues visas, and the Department of Homeland Security oversees entry to the United States at airports.”

Veselnitskaya was granted the special immigration parole for the limited purpose of defending a company owned by a Russian businessman in a Justice Department asset forfeiture case, but later participated in a wide-ranging pro-Russia lobbying campaign.

Over the summer of 2016, Veselnitskaya met with current and former lawmakers from both parties and was spotted in the front row of a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Russia.

In June of 2016, Donald Trump Jr., White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and former campaign manager Paul Manafort took a meeting with Veselnitskaya. A music promoter told Trump Jr. that Veselnitskaya had dirt on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. But Trump Jr. said the Russian lawyer instead pushed for changes to the Magnitsky Act, which punished Russians for human rights violations.

Democrats have seized on the meeting, claiming it as evidence that Trump officials sought to collude with the Russians in the campaign.

“She was here because of Lynch,” Trump said at a press conference in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.

“Nothing happened from the meeting,” Trump added. “Zero happened from the meeting, and honestly I think the press made a big deal over something that many people would do.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: lorettalynch; trumprussia; veselnitskaya
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1 posted on 07/13/2017 8:18:32 PM PDT by TigerClaws
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To: TigerClaws

It’s “disturbing allegations” when they attack and when Trump defends himself, it’s an “attack”.


2 posted on 07/13/2017 8:28:45 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: TigerClaws

how can she back away from something only the AG can allow ?


3 posted on 07/13/2017 8:32:38 PM PDT by stylin19a
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To: TigerClaws
the U.S. attorney at the hearing told the judge that the special visa the Russian lawyer received was part of a “discretionary act that the statute allows the attorney general to do in extraordinary circumstances.”

So then the Trump administration and Lynch colluded with Russians.

4 posted on 07/13/2017 8:36:44 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: tumblindice

Nice catch!

Lot of games played with language by the fake news crowd.


5 posted on 07/13/2017 8:39:03 PM PDT by TigerClaws
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To: stylin19a
how can she back away from something only the AG can allow ?

Because the left lies, the media covers it up and half of the US population is too stupid to understand what's really going on.

6 posted on 07/13/2017 8:39:21 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: TigerClaws
"In a statement, a spokesperson for Lynch said the former attorney general “does not have any personal knowledge of Ms. Veselnitskaya's travel.......”

...... Oh .... How cute it is when Democrats use there careful parsing of words ..... Well .... Myself would love to ask the question to the colorful Loretta Lynch .... Well Loretta .... Did you have any "Professional Knowledge" of Ms. Veselnitskaya's travels?

7 posted on 07/13/2017 8:40:10 PM PDT by R_Kangel ( "A Nation of Sheep ..... Will Beget ..... a Nation Ruled by Wolves.")
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To: stylin19a

“She knew nothing. She found out about it when you guys did from the media.”

The old Obama administration two step. Don’t you miss it?

Next was, “But I’m angry and I”ll look into it right away!”

Rush pointed this out. Obama officials stood outside their own administration and took no responsibility for anything that went wrong.


8 posted on 07/13/2017 8:40:55 PM PDT by TigerClaws
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To: TigerClaws

Will there be a Subpoena for Lynch to testify under oath, IN PUBLIC? No,of course not. Why? Because the Republicans are just as complicit in the take down of Trump as Democrats.


9 posted on 07/13/2017 8:48:31 PM PDT by heights
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To: TigerClaws

Russian bag money to the Clinton Foundation.


10 posted on 07/13/2017 8:49:04 PM PDT by blackdog
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To: TigerClaws
But Trump Jr. said the Russian lawyer instead pushed for changes to the Magnitsky Act, which punished Russians for human rights violations...Charles Krauthammer on Fox tonight was all outraged because he thinks this incident puts the lie to six months of claims by the administration that there was no collusion with the Russians - Charles was a psychiatrist and should know about relationships - this was not collusion - this was not an attempt to establish a relationship with Russia by the Trumps - this was not "hey, let's go see what the Russians can provide to help our campaign" - it was "let's go see if this woman, who by the way is Russian and says the information she has comes through the Russian government, has anything helpful to us" - for the sake of potential patients it's probably a good thing Charles is out of the psychiatry business....
11 posted on 07/13/2017 8:58:31 PM PDT by Intolerant in NJ
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To: TigerClaws

They have nothing but contempt for the intellect of the American public.
As evidenced on the evening of Nov. 8th, the feeling is mutual. No need for training in rhetoric: the average guy is on to their semantics tricks.
As professor Daffy Duck put it, “It’th dethpicable.”


12 posted on 07/13/2017 8:59:37 PM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives)
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To: TigerClaws

Obama officials stood outside their own administration and took no responsibility for anything that went wrong.<<<

*G*


13 posted on 07/13/2017 9:05:42 PM PDT by M-cubed
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To: TigerClaws

Obama officials stood outside their own administration and took no responsibility for anything that went wrong.<<<

*G*


14 posted on 07/13/2017 9:06:10 PM PDT by M-cubed
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To: Intolerant in NJ

True, but he should be out of any business requiring use of his mind, period.


15 posted on 07/13/2017 9:06:24 PM PDT by reasonisfaith ("...because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." (2 Thessalonians))
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To: TigerClaws

Her day in court is coming...


16 posted on 07/13/2017 9:08:34 PM PDT by Hotlanta Mike (You for avoid reality, but you can't avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.")
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To: Intolerant in NJ

I think it was a setup from Obama/PIAPS trying to get the Trump campaign to agree to a quid pro quo. That is the only thing that makes sense to me.


17 posted on 07/13/2017 9:13:03 PM PDT by jospehm20
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To: TigerClaws

Guys! Is it just me? Why does Natalia Veselnitskaya looks familiar? I swear I may have seen her in the news before like around mid 90’s.

I better stop eating ribs. I think the sauce is making me nuts. LOL


18 posted on 07/13/2017 9:18:32 PM PDT by Patriot Babe
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To: TigerClaws

Fine; release the email chain then.


19 posted on 07/13/2017 9:35:52 PM PDT by Darteaus94025 (Can't have a Liberal without a Lie)
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To: TigerClaws

BWAHAHAHAHA


20 posted on 07/14/2017 12:45:14 AM PDT by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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