White House Under Siege After E-mail Bombshell; Russian Family At Center Of Trump, Jr. Meeting Speaks Out; Trump Attorney Live On New Day.
CAMEROTA: The billionaire family that helped arrange the controversial meeting between Donald Trump, Jr. and a Russian lawyer is offering their side of the story now through their new attorney. The family says at no point did they think the purpose of the meeting was to spill dirt on Hillary Clinton.</s>CUOMO: That point is counter to what we see in this e-mail chain given by Donald Trump, Jr. How so? We have CNN's Alex Marquardt with the details?</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, this will be a great one, there's no question, because of the fact that it's Miss Universe in Moscow.</s>ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In November 2013, Donald Trump was in Russia to host the Miss Universe pageant. At his side, his business partner for the pageant, fellow billionaire and real estate developer Aras Agalarov. Just days before, Agalarov had been awarded one of Russia's honors by Vladimir Putin, himself. And now, Agalarov, along with his pop star son Emin, were hobnobbing with Trump who later told Russian reporters he was considering a run for president.</s>TRUMP: Well, a lot of people want me to run and a lot of people want to see a different approach.</s>MARQUARDT: The origins of Donald Trump, Jr.'s controversial meeting with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya can all be traced back to the Miss Universe pageant. Noah Kirsch has covered Trump's business ties for "Forbes" magazine.</s>NOAH KIRSCH, REPORTER, FORBES MAGAZINE: Agalarov decided he wanted the most beautiful women in the world to be in his music video. That led him to a meeting with Miss Universe -- the Miss Universe organization which, eventually, he said led him to an invitation from Donald Trump, himself.</s>MARQUARDT: An invitation to the Miss USA pageant in Las Vegas where they reportedly brokered the deal to host the Miss Universe competition later that year in Moscow. The Agalarovs claimed they spent $20 million on the event.</s>TRUMP: So we'll be there on November ninth in Moscow and -- come on up here folks, where are you? Where are my partners? Where are my very powerful, very rich, very nice great people?</s>MARQUARDT: With them in Vegas, Emin's British publicist Rob Goldstone. A few days later, Trump wondering aloud on Twitter, "Do you think Putin will be going to the Miss Universe pageant in November in Moscow? If so, will he become my new best friend?" He didn't attend but Putin reportedly sent a present for Trump and Emin Agalarov performed. EMIN AGALAROV, POP STAR (Singing)</s>MARQUARDT: After, Trump tweeting the Agalarov father, "I had a great weekend with you and your family. You have done a fantastic job. Trump Tower Moscow is next. Emin was wow." The relationship grew. Trump even appeared in Emin's music video.</s>TRUMP: Emin, wake up, come on. What's wrong with you?</s>KIRSCH: We know that Emin Agalarov spent time at Trump properties, that he received a personalized video message from the president on this 35th birthday. And I know from my conversation with him that, at least according to Emin Agalarov, this relationship extended up to and past the November election.</s>MARQUARDT: So when the message came via Rob Goldstone that Emin Agalarov wanted Donald, Jr. to meet a Russian government attorney, he likely assumed it was coming from trusted friends. Today, the Agalarov's new lawyer claiming Goldstone's e-mail was utterly inconsistent with what our understanding was of the purpose of the meeting, telling CNN Goldstone is out of his element in writing these e-mails and having these communications. Alex Marquardt, CNN, New York.</s>CUOMO: Out of his element. What does that mean? Does that mean he made it up? Does that mean he got something wrong? We have someone who can answer those questions. The Agalarov's attorney, Mr. Scott Balber. Counselor, good to have you on the show.</s>SCOTT BALBER, ATTORNEY FOR EMIN AND ARAS AGALAROV: Good to be here, thank you.</s>CUOMO: Please answer that question. What does that mean, he was out of his element, Mr. Goldstone? And just to refresh everybody's recollection, Donald Trump, Jr. was in an e-mail chain with Goldstone about a meeting set up either with one of your clients or someone that they knew who wound up being this attorney -- this female attorney that they met with and with some others. So, what does that mean that Goldstone was out of his element in these e-mails?</s>BALBER: Well, Rob Goldstone, as you know, is a music publicist. He was the publicist for Emin Agalarov. He's not a political guy, he's not a lawyer. And we suspect that he was trying to do a favor for his client and make this introduction to the lawyer, but this is not his realm and therefore he said things which were, quite frankly, foolish and, ultimately, false.</s>CUOMO: Do you know Goldstone?</s>BALBER: I do not know him personally, no.</s>CUOMO: By reputation, is he known to be a pathological liar?</s>BALBER: I don't know his reputation. I have no reason to suggest that he's a pathological liar but what I will tell you that what he says in the e-mail is not true.</s>CUOMO: But -- well, how do you know it's not true?</s>BALBER: Well, I know it's not true because I've had communications with the people referenced in the e-mail and it's simply fiction that this was some effort to create a conduit for information from the Russian federal prosecutors to the Trump campaign. And let me just pause for a second and let's look at how absurd it would be. As I was listening to the broadcast you indicated that Mr. Trump and Mr. Agalarov had a relationship dating back to the Miss USA pageants and Miss Universe pageants. And the story here is that the Russian federal prosecutors spoke to Mr. Agalarov senior, who had his son, the pop star, reach out to his publicist to contact the Trump campaign. It's just fantasy world because the reality is if there was something important that Mr. Agalarov wanted to communicate to the Trump campaign I suspect he could have called Mr. Trump directly as opposed to having his son's pop music publicist be the intermediary.</s>CUOMO: Well, that's interesting. Let's unpack it one-by-one. The idea of any other communications between Donald, Jr. and one of the Agalarovs, which you're saying which would have been a more convenient thing. It is suggested in the e-mail chain and Donald, Jr. does indicate yes, have Emin call my cellphone. That call, what was it about?</s>BALBER: That call -- that call didn't occur.</s>CUOMO: Well, let me ask you about that. I know that you have said that before and that's -- but I'm curious because if that call didn't occur, Counselor, why does Goldstone then say in a subsequent e-mail, I believe, to Don, Jr., "You are aware of the meeting and so wondered if --" and then he talks about scheduling. Why would Mr. Goldstone believe that Don, Jr. would be aware of a meeting if he hadn't communicated with somebody else and that somebody else, by dent of the nature of this loop of communication, would have to be Emin?</s>BALBER: Well, I really can't speak to what Rob Goldstone was thinking or what he wrote or why, but I'll tell you again that that call didn't happen. I don't know if there was someone else who spoke to Donald Trump, Jr. about this prospective meeting but it wasn't my client. And again, I don't know where Mr. Goldstone got his information from but it's just categorically incorrect.</s>CUOMO: So, Mr. Goldstone, who's the publicist for your client, was wrong when he suggested that Donald Trump, Jr. had spoken with your client? And he was wrong when he said the crown prosecutor of Russia met with his -- Emin's -- father this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father. Very high-level, sensitive part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump, helped along by your clients. That is some doozy of a lie. That's a lot of information and specificity just to pitch a meeting, is it not?</s>BALBER: Again, I can't speak for Rob Goldstone. But I will tell you again, categorically, that no meeting between the Russian prosecutors and Mr. Agalarov happened in any respect relating to Hillary Clinton or the U.S. election.</s>CUOMO: When did --</s>BALBER: It just didn't happen.</s>CUOMO: When did your client fire Mr. Goldstone?</s>BALBER: I don't know that he fired Mr. Goldstone. Why? I'm not sure what --</s>CUOMO: The man told a lie like this about your client and he didn't fire him as his publicist?</s>BALBER: First of all, we saw the e-mail yesterday for the first time. So what is going to happen vis-a-vis Mr. Agalarov's music career and his publicist, I don't know. But it's been less than 24 hours since we saw this e-mail chain. And yes, my clients are very concerned about what was said in these e- mails. Again, they're flatly false and we will try to find out, ultimately, what the source of Mr. Goldstone's commentary was. But I'm sure you'll be asking him and his counsel separately.</s>CUOMO: Mr. Goldstone has not wanted to come on. If you can help with that all, seeing that he does have a relationship with your client, we would very much appreciate that. He really is the only person who can put some meat on the bones of this speculation. Last question. Your clients' relationship to the lawyer involved here, the woman who took the meeting, is what?</s>BALBER: Well, again, I've said this before. Natalia is an acquaintance of Emin and she has been pursuing this Magnitsky Act for some time. And as a result, Mr. Agalarov was willing to make an introduction to give her a forum to talk about this Magnitsky Act issue, and that really is the totality of our involvement.</s>CUOMO: That is something that this kind of story was made up by the publicist for your client and he's still working for him. We will want to see what happens here. Counselor, thank you very much. Appreciate your perspective on this.</s>BALBER: My pleasure. Thank you.</s>CUOMO: Alisyn --</s>CAMEROTA: All right, Chris. We're obviously following a lot of news, including a live interview with President Trump's attorney, Jay Sekulow, so let's get right to it.</s>SEN. TIM KAINE (D), VIRGINIA: We're now beyond obstruction of justice.</s>DONALD TRUMP, JR., SON OF PRESIDENT TRUMP: For me, this was opposition research so I think I wanted to hear it out.</s>SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: Any time that you're in a campaign and get an offer from a foreign government to help your campaign, the answer is no.</s>BRIAN FALLON, FORMER CLINTON CAMPAIGN PRESS SECRETARY: Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think you'd see a piece of evidence that would be as much of a smoking gun as this e-mail.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The president was not aware of the meeting, did not attend this meeting.</s>TRUMP, JR.: It was such a nothing. It was literally just a wasted 20 minutes, which was a shame.</s>SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: This was an attempt at collusion. And so now the question is really, was it successful?</s>ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Chris Cuomo and Alisyn Camerota.</s>CAMEROTA: Good morning, everyone. Welcome to your NEW DAY. It is Wednesday, July 12th, 8:00 in the East. And we do begin with the top story. The White House reportedly in crisis mode, consumed by the latest Russia revelations in newly-released e-mails from Donald Trump, Jr. "The New York Times" reporting that members of the president's inner circle are embroiled in what they call a circular firing squad trying to figure out the source of the latest leaks.</s>CUOMO: The president's eldest son breaking his silence, claiming he never told his father about his meeting with a Russian lawyer and admitting he would handle things differently if he could do this all over. All this, while President Trump is calling this the greatest witch hunt in political history and blasting us for reporting on it. Remember, his son's own e-mails just acknowledged an alleged attempt by Russia to infiltrate the election and the president is saying that's not true. Joining us now is President Trump's attorney Jay Sekulow. Counselor --</s>JAY SEKULOW, MEMBER, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S LEGAL TEAM: Good morning.</s>CUOMO: Good to see you again.</s>SEKULOW: Yes, sir.</s>CUOMO: Why would the president question the veracity of his own son's e-mails?