WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump's campaign paid $50,000 to the law office now representing Donald Trump Jr. a little more than a week before news surfaced of an unreported meeting with a Russian attorney that has prompted new accusations of collusion.
The
payment to the Law Offices of Alan S. Futerfas, dated June 27, was
disclosed in a filing with the Federal Election Commission on Saturday.
It was described as covering "legal consulting" fees.
Trump
Jr. admitted to meeting with a Russian lawyer in New York City during
the 2016 presidential campaign after he was told she might have damaging
information about his father's rival, Democratic candidate Hillary
Clinton.
The payment was made to Futerfas' firm
days before the story about the meeting broke, which caused a scramble
inside the White House and Trump Tower to contain it.
The
disclosures do not say who Futerfas was hired to represent. Spokesmen
for Trump's re-election campaign and Futerfas did not respond to
requests for comment.
Futerfas was revealed as
Trump Jr.'s lawyer on Monday after a New York Times report detailed
meetings between the president's eldest son and the Russian lawyer.
Futerfas has not said when he was hired.
Separately,
the campaign also paid more than $538,000 to Jones Day, the law firm
that represented Trump's campaign during the election. The campaign also
paid $89,561 for "legal consulting" to The Trump Corporation, which is
owned by the president. The payment was dated June 30th.
A
federal special counsel and several congressional panels are
investigating allegations by U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia
meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as potential
connections between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.
Moscow has denied any interference and the president and Trump Jr. have denied any collusion.
The
Federal Election Commission has previously ruled that candidates and
federal office holders may spend campaign funds on legal fees incurred
because they were a candidate.
Trump has also
hired a longtime legal adviser, Marc Kasowitz, as outside counsel. His
campaign finance disclosure did not list any payments to Kasowitz.
The
White House confirmed in a statement on Saturday that veteran
Washington attorney Ty Cobb will serve as special counsel, and sources
familiar with the hiring said Cobb would handle the White House's
response to the Russia-related investigations.
Cobb,
a partner at the law firm Hogan Lovells, is expected to be an
intermediary between the White House and Congress, as well as outside
attorneys as the probes continue.
In
the second quarter of 2017, Trump's re-election campaign raised about
$8 million and spent $4.4 million, according to Saturday's disclosures.
Much
of the money raised from individuals came in the form of "small dollar"
donations, classed as donations of less than $250. Trump and his
campaign have frequently touted the number of small-dollar donors as
proof of his widespread support.
Trump filed for re-election the
day after taking office - allowing his campaign to continue to raise and
spend money while he is in office.Reuters
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