Trump son's Clinton claim denied by Russian lawyer

The Russian lawyer at the centre of allegations surrounding US President Donald Trump's son has insisted she was never in possession of information that could have damaged Hillary Clinton.

Natalia Veselnitskaya said Donald Trump Jr and two senior campaign aides may have met her last summer because they were "longing" for such information.

Ms Veselnitskaya has been linked to the Russian government.

US officials are investigating alleged Russian meddling in the US election.

 Mr Trump Jr was told that material on Democratic presidential candidate Mrs Clinton offered by Ms Veselnitskaya was part of Moscow's effort to help his father's election campaign, the New York Times reports.

Publicist Rob Goldstone, who arranged the meeting with Ms Veselnitskaya, stated this in an email, the newspaper says.

The president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign head, Paul J Manafort, also attended the meeting at Trump Tower in New York in June 2016.

Ms Veselnitskaya told US broadcaster NBC on Tuesday: "I never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that."

Ms Veselnitskaya said the meeting was set up by a man she did not know who told her by telephone to go to Trump Tower.

Mr Trump Jr asked her just one question during the meeting, she said.

"The question that I was asked was as follows: whether I had any financial records which might prove that the funds used to sponsor the DNC [Democratic National Committee] were coming from inappropriate sources.

"It is quite possible that maybe they were longing for such information. They wanted it so badly that they could only hear the thought that they wanted."

Ms Veselnitskaya denied ever having worked for the Russian government.

In a tweet sent after Ms Veselnitskaya's interview with NBC, Mr Trump Jr accused the media and Democratic Party of focusing on a "nonsense meeting" and of "desperation".

Separately on Tuesday, Russian officials said Moscow was ready to expel 30 US diplomats and seize US state property in retaliation for sanctions imposed by President Barack Obama over Russian hacking of Democratic Party computers.

What is in the latest New York Times article?

The newspaper reports that three people with knowledge of the Goldstone email said it indicated the Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information on Mrs Clinton.

But it says there was no mention in the email of any wider effort by the Russian government to interfere in the election, nor was there any indication of a link to the hacking attack on the Democratic Party that was first reported a week after the meeting.

Mr Goldstone has previously denied any knowledge of involvement by the Russian government.

Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told MSNBC that the New York Times report was "a very serious development".

"It all warrants thorough investigation. Everyone who was in that meeting ought to come before our committee."

Mr Trump Jr's statement on the matter on Sunday did not indicate he had been told of any Russian government involvement.

Lawyer Alan Futerfas, hired by Mr Trump Jr to represent him in the Russia-related investigations, described reports of the meeting as "much ado about nothing" and said his client had done nothing wrong.

The president's son said he was "happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know".

When was the meeting and how did it come to light?

It took place on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower, just two weeks after Donald Trump secured the Republican nomination.