Senate Russia Investigators Will Hear Trump Jr. Testimony
Donald Trump Jr. will testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. During the hearing, which will be private, President Trump’s eldest son is expected to answer senators’ questions about his meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya — a Kremlin-connected lawyer who claimed to be an emissary for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Per The New York Times, Trump Jr.’s lawyers negotiated the closed-door meeting; senators had originally requested public testimony from Trump Jr. and the president’s one time campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, who was also present at the June 2016 meeting with Veselnitskaya. At the time, Trump Jr. ostensibly sought damaging information about his father’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, from Veselnitskaya. Emails obtained by The Times revealed that Trump Jr. orchestrated the meeting.
Senate aides anticipate a lengthy interview. From The Times:
The interview on Thursday was expected to be largely handled by staff, though several senators said they planned to attend. Besides the Trump Tower meeting, Mr. Blumenthal said the staff would question Mr. Trump on the Trump Organization’s financial dealings with the Russians and on his father’s decision to fire Mr. Comey.
Jr.’s lawyer, Alan S. Futerfas, told CBS News that he was looking forward to the interview, which I somehow doubt. “We look forward to a professional and productive meeting and appreciate the opportunity to assist the committee,” Futerfas said in a statement.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, the committee’s top-ranking Democrat, said that President Trump promised to publicly testify as well, however if he doesn’t follow through he will likely be subpoenaed.