"I can also send this info to your father via Rhona, but it is ultrasensitive so wanted to send to you first," an associate wrote in an email to Donald Trump Jr. days before the president's son met with a Russian attorney.
Who is Rhona?
Meet Rhona Graff — President Donald Trump's secretary at the Trump Organization.
Graff has worked for Trump for decades and is often considered Trump's gatekeeper, according to The New York Times. She did not follow Trump to the White House and has instead stayed at the Trump Organization.
The distance has not diminished her ability to reach the president. When longtime friends and associates want to reach Trump, they call Graff, not the White House, according to Politico.
"If I really wanted to whisper something in his ear, I would probably go to Rhona," New York grocery billionaire John Catsimatidis told Politico.
Roger Stone, longtime friend and Republican strategist, also dodges the White House and reaches Trump through Graff, according to Politico. She passes requests to Madeleine Westerhout, Trump's personal assistant in the White House, whom Graff trained during the transition, according to Politico.
Graff anticipated that people would still try to reach Trump through her. Katie Walsh, who oversees Trump's schedule, requested that Graff forward the requests along, Politico reported. A White House spokesman told The New York Times that Graff sends messages to an official point of contact rather than directly to the president.
Trump has directed some people to contact Graff instead of the White House, two associates who have received such advice told Politico. She wields the most influence over his schedule at Mar-a-Lago, when Trump asks his staff to leave blocks of personal time free. He uses the time to meet with friends, some of whom tell Graff they will be at the club at the same time as Trump, according to Politico.
Graff, 64, grew up in Queens. She started at the Trump Organization nearly 30 years ago after running a sports marketing company, according to the Times. She was featured in a few episodes of Trump's reality show "The Apprentice."
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