On July 8, The New York Times reported that during the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign, Donald Trump Jr. met with individuals connected to the Russian government. The individuals purported to have incriminating evidence against then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

In the days that followed, The New York Times obtained and shared excerpts from emails between Trump Jr. and Rob Goldstone, a former British reporter and publicist with connections to the Trump organization that documented the two organizing the meeting. The paper also showed that Goldstone “checked-in” at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016, the date of the meeting, on Facebook, writing: “preparing for a meeting.”

On July 11, Trump Jr. himself verified the authenticity of the emails, releasing them in full on his Twitter account. It was a rare confirmation from a direct source, one all investigators, whether in journalism, regulatory agencies or law firms, desire.