The Wall Street Journal
Donald Trump Jr. Was Likely Paid at Least $50,000 for Event Held by Hosts Allied With Russia on Syria
October appearance by son of then-candidate is one of string of contacts between members of the president’s inner circle and individuals connected to Moscow
Donald Trump Jr. addressed a dinner on Oct. 11 at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, hosted by the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs. Its president, Fabien Baussart, and his Syrian-born wife, Randa Kassis, have cooperated with Russia in its drive to end the Syrian civil war, according to U.S., European and Arab officials.
In December, Mr. Baussart formally nominated Russian President Vladimir Putin for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mrs. Kassis is a leader of a political faction endorsed by Russia in negotiations to end the war in Syria. The couple said they don’t represent Russia and are solely focused on ending the Syrian conflict.
The meeting in October represents one in a string of contacts over the past year between members of the president’s inner circle and individuals connected to Moscow and to Russian interests. The Wall Street Journal in November reported Donald Trump Jr.’s appearance at the event.
A U.S. counterintelligence investigation has examined contacts with Russia involving several associates of President Trump, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to people familiar with the matter. The outcome of the Sessions inquiry, and whether it is ongoing, is unclear. There has been no indication that the president’s son is under similar scrutiny.
The existence of a financial connection between the younger Trump and an entity associated with the Kremlin would likely add to questions involving Mr. Trump’s administration and Russia, following a campaign in which he was loath to criticize Russia’s leader and repeatedly called for better ties to Moscow.
The younger Mr. Trump’s appearance and his work as a paid public speaker also are likely to raise questions about possible efforts by outside parties to gain influence with the Trump family. Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton drew criticism for speakers fees and contributions involving her family’s charitable foundation, a practice President Donald Trump criticized during his campaign as a “pay to play” scheme.
Donald Trump Jr. serves as the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, a real-estate company founded by his father, and was a top official in his father’s campaign.
The younger Trump was likely paid at least $50,000 for his Paris appearance by the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs. The Trump Organization didn’t dispute that amount when asked about it by The Wall Street Journal.
A U.S. counterintelligence investigation has examined contacts with Russia involving several associates of President Trump, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to people familiar with the matter. The outcome of the Sessions inquiry, and whether it is ongoing, is unclear. There has been no indication that the president’s son is under similar scrutiny.
The existence of a financial connection between the younger Trump and an entity associated with the Kremlin would likely add to questions involving Mr. Trump’s administration and Russia, following a campaign in which he was loath to criticize Russia’s leader and repeatedly called for better ties to Moscow.
The younger Mr. Trump’s appearance and his work as a paid public speaker also are likely to raise questions about possible efforts by outside parties to gain influence with the Trump family. Former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton drew criticism for speakers fees and contributions involving her family’s charitable foundation, a practice President Donald Trump criticized during his campaign as a “pay to play” scheme.
Donald Trump Jr. serves as the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, a real-estate company founded by his father, and was a top official in his father’s campaign.
The younger Trump was likely paid at least $50,000 for his Paris appearance by the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs. The Trump Organization didn’t dispute that amount when asked about it by The Wall Street Journal.
“Donald Trump Jr. has been participating in business-related speaking engagements for over a decade—discussing a range of topics including sharing his entrepreneurial experiences and offering career specific advice,” said Amanda Miller, the company’s vice president for marketing.
A talent booking agency called All American Speakers lists Donald Trump Jr. on its website as a client who commands a minimum of $50,000 per appearance.
People who have participated in events at the French think tank say it often pays speakers 20% to 30% above their going rate.
At a different event in October, the Center hosted James Rubin, a former State Department spokesman who served in Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. He was paid nearly $40,000 to attend, according to people briefed on the event.
Mrs. Kassis heads a political party, the Movement for a Pluralistic Society, which is part of a faction endorsed by Russia in international negotiations aimed at ending the six-year Syrian conflict.
She regularly visits Moscow to coordinate policy with Russia’s Foreign Ministry, said Arab and European officials. She has appeared more than once in photographs with Russian officials in Russian state media.
In interviews, Mrs. Kassis said she stressed to Donald Trump Jr. in October the need for the U.S. and Russia to cooperate in ending the Syrian conflict. She said she passed on Mr. Trump’s views to Russian diplomats in subsequent trips she made to Moscow.
Mrs. Kassis said she is optimistic about U.S.-Russia cooperation after meeting Donald Trump Jr. The couple said his talk at the think tank was about general campaign issues and the senior Mr. Trump’s platform.
The couple said they believe an end to the Syrian conflict can only be achieved through a political agreement between Washington and Moscow.
Mr. Baussart said his focus has been on finding a Syria solution in which Russia and the U.S. have key roles. “There’s never going to be peace in Syria if Russia and the U.S. don’t cut a broader deal,” Mr. Baussart said.
Mr. Baussart told Russian state media that Mr. Putin should be recognized for his efforts to end the Syrian civil war and combat international terrorism. The Obama administration, in contrast, accused Russia of committing war crimes in Syria.
“I believe that President Putin has deserved it,” Mr. Baussart told RIA Novosti, referring to the Nobel Peace Prize. “He is the only one who is truly fighting terrorism.”
Mrs. Kassis said her faction supports the eventual removal of President Bashar al-Assad, but only through a gradual political transition, a position shared by the Kremlin. She said any quick removal of Mr. Assad would result in Islamic extremists seizing control of Syria.
“We can’t have a radical transition,” she said. “We need to have a secure transition.”
Current and former U.S. and French officials said they have approached Mrs. Kassis and Mr. Baussart with caution due to their close contacts with the Kremlin. U.S. diplomats have met with the couple as part of the diplomatic process on Syria, but said they assumed they were largely representing the Russian position.
“They are very close to the Russians, and the French government warned us about them,” said Robert Ford, a former State Department official who coordinated U.S. policy toward Syria during the Obama administration and met the couple during peace talks.
Mr. Ford said he found meetings with Mrs. Kassis useful because she is representative of Syria’s Christian minority and had family links to the top tiers of the Assad regime.
Her first husband is the son of retired Gen. Mohammed al-Khouli, the former head of a powerful Syrian intelligence branch and a top aide to Mr. Assad’s father, the late President Hafez al-Assad. Mrs. Kassis said she has no current links to the Assad regime, and describes herself as part of the Syrian opposition.
The Center of Political and Foreign Affairs regularly hosts foreign diplomats, government leaders and intelligence chiefs to dinner, lunch and breakfast events in Paris and other cities, according to its website.
The meeting with Donald Trump Jr. in October was attended by French businessmen, bankers and diplomats, according to attendees, and focused on geopolitical issues.
The younger Mr. Trump regularly travels internationally to pursue Trump Organization real-estate projects, and has emphasized the importance of Russian business. President Trump has said that his companies wouldn’t make new business deals overseas while he is president.
“In terms of high-end product influx into the U.S., Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets,” he said in a 2008 interview with a trade publication. “We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.”
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