EXCLUSIVE: Central Figure In ‘Backdoor Overture’ Request Denies That Russian Official Sought Trump Meeting
An offer of a “Russian backdoor overture” that made its way to Jared Kushner last year was initiated by a devout Christian with concern for veterans and not Russian operatives devising a plan to collude with the Trump campaign.
Johnny Yenason, the owner of a Pennsylvania-based pipefitting company, says that it was his Christian and veterans advocacy work that prompted him to reach out in May 2016 to Aleksander Torshin, the deputy chairman of Russia’s central bank, and his associate, Maria Butina.
That outreach effort, which made its way from Yenason to a friend of his named Rick Clay and then to members of the Trump campaign, became the subject of intense scrutiny last Friday after the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to Kushner, a White House senior adviser and Trump’s son-in-law, accusing him of improperly withholding the email exchange. (RELATED: Kushner Was Forwarded An Email Offering A ‘Russian Backdoor Overture’) Kushner’s emails show that he shot down the meeting request, but Trump critics saw the initial overture as an attempt by the Trump associates to collude with Russian operatives or by Kremlin functionaries trying to infiltrate the campaign.
Several news outlets reported Friday that Torshin, a former Russian senator, tried to arrange a meeting with Trump. But in interviews with The Daily Caller this week, Yenason directly disputed that Torshin or Butina made any outreach to the Trump team.
Yenason says that while Clay’s email — entitled “Russian backdoor overture and dinner meeting” — does suggest that Torshin sought a session with Trump, Clay “misstated” his message to the campaign.
“Rick’s email may have stated that, but that was not communicated to me in any of the requests or emails that I exchanged with [Butina and Torshin],” Yenason said.
Yeneson’s own email correspondence with the Russians undercuts the notion that they “tried to get involved with me and manipulated me because I was some dumb American,” he says. TheDC reviewed Yenason’s email exchanges with Butina and Torshin.
In an Tuesday interview with TheDC, Clay said it was possible that he misstated what Yeneson told him.
Asked if Yeneson mentioned Torshin to him, Clay said, “I don’t remember that at all.”