--- title: Sean Spicer: Adoption Policy Was Focus of Russia Meeting description: Spicer said the only topic discussed in Donald Trump Jr.'s the meeting was Russian adoption policy canonical: https://time.com/4861599/sean-spicer-donald-trump-jr-natalia-veselnitskaya-meeting/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-17T20:31:23.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T16:35:40.557Z article:section: Politics og:title: Sean Spicer Said the Russia Meeting Was Just About Adoption. President Trump Said Otherwise og:description: Trump tweeted that it was "in order to get info on an opponent." og:url: https://time.com/4861599/sean-spicer-donald-trump-jr-natalia-veselnitskaya-meeting/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcec498d870412bf2/6988d36bfb4eac3341892a43/gettyimages-801414224.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4928 og:image:height: 2772 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-SPICER og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Sean Spicer Said the Russia Meeting Was Just About Adoption. President Trump Said Otherwise twitter:description: Trump tweeted that it was "in order to get info on an opponent." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcec498d870412bf2/6988d36bfb4eac3341892a43/gettyimages-801414224.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Sean Spicer Said the Russia Meeting Was Just About Adoption. President Trump Said Otherwise > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Jul 17, 2017 8:31 PM UTC  Sean Spicer at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2017. Sean Spicer at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 26, 2017. Nicholas Kamm—AFP/Getty Images  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Jul 17, 2017 8:31 PM UTC White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Monday that the focus of a 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer was adoption policy, despite President Trump’s own tweet on the subject. Speaking at an off-camera press briefing, the White House press secretary said that a meeting with the younger Trump, then-campaign manager Paul Manafort, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin, among others, was only about Russian adoption policy. “There was nothing as far as we know that would lead anyone to believe that there was anything except for discussion about adoption,” said Spicer, referring further questions to the White House counsel. The New York _Times_ reported that Trump Jr. was[ promised compromising information](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/10/us/politics/donald-trump-jr-russia-email-candidacy.html) on Hillary Clinton ahead of the meeting. Trump Jr. confirmed that report when [he released the email chain](http://time.com/4853005/donald-trump-jr-emails-hillary-clinton-russia/) that led to it, which showed he was promised “very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” On Monday morning, President Trump [tweeted](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/886950594220568576), “most politicians would have gone to a meeting like the one Don \[Jr.\] attended in order to get info on an opponent. That’s politics!” Spicer said the President “made it clear” through his tweet what he thought about the meeting. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4861599/sean-spicer-donald-trump-jr-natalia-veselnitskaya-meeting/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4861599/sean-spicer-donald-trump-jr-natalia-veselnitskaya-meeting/"},"headline":"Sean Spicer Said the Russia Meeting Was Just About Adoption. 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