Now we know why Donald Trump Jr. lawyered up today. The New York Times is apparently following the Breitbart method of releasing progressive bombshell stories that build on the previous bombshells — except that unlike Breitbart, these bombshells are the real deal: Russian Government Sought to Aid Trump’s Candidacy, According to Email.

WASHINGTON — Before arranging a meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer he believed would offer him compromising information about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father’s candidacy, according to three people with knowledge of the email.

The email to the younger Mr. Trump was sent by Rob Goldstone, a publicist and former British tabloid reporter who helped broker the June 2016 meeting. In a statement on Sunday, Mr. Trump acknowledged that he was interested in receiving damaging information about Mrs. Clinton, but gave no indication that he thought the lawyer might have been a Kremlin proxy.

Mr. Goldstone’s message, as described to The New York Times by the three people, indicates that the Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information.

Does anyone really believe Trump Jr. didn’t tell his father about this meeting, that was supposedly going to help his campaign?