Father-son talk: Trump jnr won’t say what was said
President Donald Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump jnr, has refused to discuss with lawmakers a conversation he had with his father about emails related to a meeting he attended last June with Trump associates and Russians, a congressional panel member said.
Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the United States House of Representatives Intelligence Committee investigating allegations of Russian interference in last year’s US election, said Trump jnr answered the “overwhelming majority” of questions from committee members in his hours of testimony.
But Trump jnr claimed attorneyclient privilege in declining to respond to queries about that discussion with his father because a lawyer was in the room when it took place. The discussion between thenRepublican candidate Trump and his son took place after the emails became public, Schiff said. Trump jnr released the emails in July.
“In my view, there is no attorneyclient privilege that protects a discussion between father and son,” Schiff told reporters after the closeddoor testimony had ended.
“We will be following up with his counsel,” Schiff said.
Lawmakers said they want to question him about a meeting with a Russian lawyer in June last year at Trump Tower in New York at which he had said he hoped to get information about the “fitness, character and qualifications” of Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton.
It was at least the second time Trump jnr has testified to a congressional committee investigating any Russian meddling in the election and possible collusion with Moscow by the Trump campaign.
Department of Justice special counsel Robert Mueller is also investigating.
He has announced the first charges of Trump associates, and Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has pleaded guilty to lying to FBI agents.
Trump jnr, like his father, denies collusion with Russia.
US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia attempted to influence the 2016 campaign to boost Trump’s chances of defeating Clinton. Moscow denies any such effort.