Trump Jr. Reportedly Texted Kremlin-Connected Businessman After Winning The Election

BuzzFeed News reported Friday that Donald Trump Jr. regularly communicated with the Kremlin-connected Agalarov family both before and after Election Day.

Emin Agalarov is a Russian businessman and singer whose family Donald Trump has known since 2013 when he and Emin’s father, Aras Agalarov, hosted the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. BuzzFeed reported that a text message between Emin and Trump Jr. was sent two days after Trump’s election win, adding that it’s not clear “how many messages were sent, whether Trump Jr. sent any of them, or how many were sent by either party” but that the existence of this interaction has been confirmed.

According to the status report on the ongoing Russia investigation that Democrats released in March, Agalarov sent Trump Jr. the following text message on November 10, 2016 at 3a.m:  “Don!!! Amazing run and a glorious victory!!!!! Congratulations to you and your dad, we are proud and happy for you !!!!!! Always at your disposal here in Russia [] Emin and Aras Agalarov@.”

This was just one of many text messages and emails the Agalarov family sent to Trump Jr. and his father’s campaign while he was campaigning and after he won, which the senior Trump occasionally responded to with handwritten notes.

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Trump Jr.’s communication with the Agalarovs made headlines last July when the New York Times released emails between himself and Rob Goldstone, the Russian singer’s publicist. The messages showed Goldstone’s effort to set up a meeting between the Trump campaign and a lawyer who he believed had dirt on Clinton.

One message included the explosive line, “This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump – helped along by Aras and Emin.”

Given that Trump Jr. had already received word of the Russian government’s “support” for his father and that the Agalarovs were involved in this support, the fact he continued to have a relationship with these people following his father clinching the presidency is damning.