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Rhona Graff.
Astrid Stawiar/Getty Images
One of President Donald Trump's closest personal assistants is about to be questioned by congressional investigators.
2017-08-11
Though 64-year-old Rhona Graff has managed to stay out of the limelight for nearly 30 years of working at Trump Tower, she has remained the go-to source for high-profile officials who wanted to arrange a meeting with Trump outside his regular hours — and is now being questioned for potential knowledge on the administration's meetings with Russian officials.
Here's what is known about the assistant who has been setting up some of Trump's most private meetings for years:
Graff, a senior vice president at the Trump Organization, has been working for Trump for nearly thirty years.
Rhona Graff, executive assistant to Donald Trump attends Olympus Fashion Week Fall 2005 in the main tent at Bryant Park February 8, 2005 in New York City.Katy Winn (Getty Images)
Graff allows some people to bypass the White House communications team and contact Trump directly. At least seven Trump associates told Politico they still reach out to Trump through Graff since he took office.
Laura Cordovano and Executive assistant to Donald Trump Rhona Graff pose for photos in the lobby of the main tent during Olympus Fashion Week Fall 2005 at Bryant Park February 10, 2005 in New York City.Astrid Stawiarz (Getty Images)
"If I really wanted to whisper something in [Trump's] ear, I would probably go to Rhona," prominent New York billionaire John Catsimatidis once told Politico.
Rhona Graff, executive assistant to Donald Trump (L) and friend attend Olympus Fashion Week Fall 2005 in the main tent at Bryant Park February 8, 2005 in New York City.Katy Winn (Getty Images)
Now, Congress investigators want to question Graff about Donald Trump Jr.'s 2016 emails to Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.
In this photo taken on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016, Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya speaks to a journalist in Moscow, Russia.Yury Martyanov /Kommersant Photo via AP
Congress wants to find out whether Graff knew of any meetings between Trump's team and Kremlin officials — particularly to discuss damaging details about then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Rhona Graff, executive assistant to Donald Trump (L) and friend attend Olympus Fashion Week Fall 2005 in the main tent at Bryant Park February 8, 2005 in New York City.Katy Winn (Getty Images)
Graff became known for her fierce loyalty to the Trump family over the years. "I’d never leave him," she once told the New York Times.
Rhona Graff, executive assistant to Donald Trump (L) and friend attend Olympus Fashion Week Fall 2005 in the main tent at Bryant Park February 8, 2005 in New York City.Katy Winn (Getty Images)
Veronika is a journalist on the breaking news team. She is fluent in Russian, received her master's degree from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and graduated with a degree in English and French from the University of British Columbia. Prior to joining Business Insider, she worked at the Associated Press and DNAinfo while also publishing articles for The Forward, Refinery29, Playbill, Paste, The Gothamist and BCBusiness. You can reach Veronika at vbondarenko@bjinnox.com.
