Trump team met with russian lawyer during campaign

You're referring to the controversy surrounding the Trump campaign's meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, during the 2016 presidential election.

In June 2016, Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, met with Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower in New York City. The meeting was also attended by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior advisor, and Paul Manafort, who was Trump's campaign chairman at the time.

Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer who has been involved in efforts to repeal the Magnitsky Act, a US law that imposes sanctions on Russian officials accused of human rights violations. She has also been linked to the Russian government and has been accused of being a Kremlin agent.

The meeting was initially downplayed by the Trump team as a routine discussion about adoption policy, but it has since been revealed that Veselnitskaya was pushing for the repeal of the Magnitsky Act and was seeking to provide damaging information about Hillary Clinton, Trump's Democratic opponent.

The meeting has been the subject of intense scrutiny and controversy, with many Democrats and some Republicans calling for an investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the election.

In July 2017, Donald Trump Jr. released an email chain that showed him discussing the meeting with Veselnitskaya and agreeing to meet with her. The emails were released after The New York Times reported on the meeting and Trump Jr. was accused of lying about the nature of the meeting.

The meeting has also been the subject of multiple investigations, including one by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential collusion with the Trump campaign.

In 2018, Mueller's team indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers for hacking into the Democratic National Committee's email system and releasing stolen emails during the election. The indictment also accused the Russians of using social media to spread disinformation and propaganda to influence the election.

The Trump team's meeting with Veselnitskaya has been seen as part of a broader pattern of contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials and intermediaries during the 2016 election. The controversy has led to widespread criticism of the Trump administration and has raised questions about the president's commitment to upholding the integrity of the US electoral process.