NEW YORK _ A Russian lawyer involved in a Trump Tower meeting at the center of a federal probe into possible Russian election interference was charged Tuesday with obstruction of justice in an unrelated case.
Attorney Natalya Veselnitskaya allegedly lied to the court while representing Russians who were implicated in a money laundering scheme. Tuesday's indictment highlights her close ties to the Kremlin.
The new charges did not mention the notorious Trump Tower meeting on June 9, 2016 where Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner and others regarding an offer of "dirt" on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Veselnitskaya is presumed to be in Russia.
Prosecutors said that Veselnitskaya filed a declaration in Manhattan Federal Court in 2015 that claimed to be independent findings by the Russian government that exonerated her clients. In reality, she had drafted the findings herself in collaboration with senior Russian prosecutor, according to the indictment.
"Fabricating evidence � submitting false and deceptive declarations to a federal judge � in an attempt to affect the outcome of pending litigation not only undermines the integrity of the judicial process, but it threatens the ability of our courts and our Government to ensure that justice is done. We take seriously our responsibility to protect the integrity of the judicial proceedings in this District, and we will not stand idly by while outside influences seek to corrupt and pervert that process," Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said.
Trump Jr. has made misleading statements about the nature of the Trump Tower meeting, which he has later corrected. The subject of the meeting, first reported by the New York Times, was a Russian offer of damaging information on Clinton.
