I don’believe she was eligible for b1/b2 visa-visitor
likely paroled by us attorney imo
\ slb \ SERVICE LAW BOOKS MENU \ TITLE 8 OF CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS (8 CFR) \ 8 CFR PART 212 — DOCUMENTARY REQUIREMENTS: NONIMMIGRANTS; WAIVERS; ADMISSION OF CERTAIN INADMISSIBLE ALIENS; PAROLE \ § Sec. 212.14 Parole determinations for alien witnesses and informants for whom a law enforcement authority (”LEA”) will request S classification. (Section added 8/25/95; 60 FR 44260)
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§ Sec. 212.14 Parole determinations for alien witnesses and informants for whom a law enforcement authority (”LEA”) will request S classification. (Section added 8/25/95; 60 FR 44260 )
(a) Parole authority. Parole authorization under section 212(d)(5) of the Act for aliens whom LEAs seek to bring to the United States as witnesses or informants in criminal/counter terrorism matters and to apply for S classification shall be exercised as follows:
(1) Grounds of eligibility. The Commissioner may, in the exercise of discretion, grant parole to an alien (and the alien’s family members) needed for law enforcement purposes provided that a state or federal LEA:
(i) Establishes its intention to file, within 30 days after the alien’s arrival in the United States, an application for S nonimmigrant status on the form designated for such purposes with the Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division, Department of Justice, in accordance with the instructions on or attached to the form, which will include the names of qualified family members for whom parole is sought; (Amended effective 11/28/11; 76 FR 53764)
https://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/SLB/HTML/SLB/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-11261/0-0-0-15905/0-0-0-16703.html
https://www.uscis.gov/ilink/docView/SLB/HTML/SLB/0-0-0-1/0-0-0-11261/0-0-0-17197/0-0-0-20348.html
Every article I’ve read has her parole granted on grounds other than witness or informant.
"In October the government bypassed the normal visa process and gave a type of extraordinary permission to enter the country called immigration parole," Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni was quoted in the court transcript as saying. "That's a discretionary act that the statute allows the attorney general to do in extraordinary circumstances. In this case, we did that so that Mr. Katsyv could testify. And we made the further accommodation of allowing his Russian lawyer into the country to assist."
Homeland Security confirms special entry for Russian lawyer - 07/14/17
If that is accurate, she was not personally a witness, rather a lawyer for a witness.
See too: How did Russian lawyer Veselnitskaya get into U.S. for Trump Tower meeting? - November 6, 2017
On the same day as the Trump Tower meeting, Veselnitskaya attended oral arguments at the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the U.S. government's forfeiture case against the Cyprus-based real estate holding company Prevezon, which prosecutors accused of laundering some of the proceeds of a $230 million Russian tax fraud scheme. Prevezon has U.S. lawyers in the forfeiture action but Veselnitskaya represents Prevezon owner Denis Katsyv, a Russian businessman. ...Veselnitskaya, however, wasn't admitted into the U.S. in June 2016 because of her role in the Prevezon case. In fact, then U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara of Manhattan specifically refused Veselnitskaya's request that the Justice Department authorize her trip via a mechanism known as immigration parole, which allows the attorney general to temporarily suspend immigration requirements on a case-by-case basis.
Bharara's office has recommended immigration paroles for Veselnitskaya on three occasions, when her client, Katsyv, was being deposed in the U.S. in the Prevezon case. But in March 2016, Bharara's office said no. In a letter to Prevezon's U.S. lawyers, prosecutors said such paroles aren't appropriate for foreign lawyers asking to help U.S. counsel prepare for appellate arguments or to attend appellate proceedings. "Since neither Katsyv nor Veselnitskaya are required to appear as witnesses in person at this stage of proceedings, we do not believe that immigration parole is appropriate," the since-fired U.S. attorney wrote.
Yes, while all that immigration law is correct, I know that ANY US SENATOR, and I suspect others, can grant US entry to anyone whether they qualify for legal entry or not.
We spent 10 years and $100,000 navigating the legal immigration process. Granted, we had no idea what we were doing and complicated our processes.