Looks like Trump Jr is on Putin-linked payroll!
Ka-BOOM! The Wall Street Journal has an explosive story this evening:
President Donald Trump’s eldest son was likely paid at least $50,000 for an appearance late last year before a French think tank whose founder and wife are allies of the Russian government in efforts to end the war in Syria.
Donald Trump Jr. addressed a dinner on Oct. 11 at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, hosted by the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs. Its president, Fabien Baussart, and his Syrian-born wife, Randa Kassis, have cooperated with Russia in its drive to end the Syrian civil war, according to U.S., European and Arab officials. In December, Mr. Baussart formally nominated Russian President Vladimir Putin for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mrs. Kassis is a leader of a political faction endorsed by Russia in negotiations to end the war in Syria. The couple said they don’t represent Russia and are solely focused on ending the Syrian conflict.
The meeting in October represents one in a string of contacts over the past year between members of the president’s inner circle and individuals connected to Moscow and to Russian interests. The Wall Street Journal in November reported Donald Trump Jr.’s appearance at the event.
A U.S. counterintelligence investigation has examined contacts with Russia involving several associates of President Trump, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to people familiar with the matter. The outcome of the Sessions inquiry, and whether it is ongoing, is unclear. There has been no indication that the president’s son is under similar scrutiny.
The existence of a financial connection between the younger Trump and an entity associated with the Kremlin adds to questions involving Mr. Trump’s administration and Russia, following a campaign in which he was loath to criticize Russia’s leader and repeatedly called for better ties to Moscow.
Donald Trump Jr. serves as the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, a real-estate company founded by his father, and was a top official in his father’s presidential campaign.
The younger Trump was likely paid at least $50,000 for his Paris appearance by the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs. The Trump Organization didn’t dispute that amount when asked about it by The Wall Street Journal.
Slate adds:
The CPFA is run by an individual named Fabien Baussart, who along with his Syrian-born wife, Randa Kassis, has been publicly supportive of Russia’s position regarding the civil war in Syria. Kassis apparently leads a Syrian party called the Movement for a Pluralistic Society and told the Journal she has traveled to Moscow on several occasions to meet with “Russian diplomats.” Both Baussart and Kassis believe the United States could help end the Syria war by adopting a friendlier stance toward Russia. Baussart nominated Putin for a Nobel Prize in December, telling Russian state media that “[Putin] is the only one who is truly fighting terrorism.”
