GOP deflects and dodges questions
Some say it’s political inexperience and not necessarily collusion
They blame political inexperience
Congressional Republicans sought to deflect, dodge and downplay questions Tuesday about Donald Trump Jr.’s decision during the 2016 campaign to meet with a “Russian government attorney” to discuss damaging information about then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Some lawmakers said Trump Jr.’s session with the Russian lawyer was due to his political inexperience and did not necessarily signal collusion with the Russian government. Others said they didn’t want to comment, given the FBI and congressional probes into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians.
A few — mostly GOP lawmakers who have already been critical of the Trump administration — said Trump Jr.’s meeting, and the emails he disclosed showing how that Trump Tower huddle came about, were problematic.
The June 2016 email to Trump Jr. promised that a meeting with a “Russian government attorney” would provide documents that “would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father.”
“This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump,” the email continued. Trump Jr. agreed to the meeting and said: “If it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer.”
The email chain also shows that Trump Jr. forwarded the emails to then-campaign man- ager Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a top adviser.
Sen. Roy Blunt, a Missouri Republican and member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Trump Jr.’s actions were “naïve,” though perhaps Manafort should have known better. Blunt said he would like Trump Jr. to come before the Intelligence panel and explain “what that meeting was all about and why you would go.”
Asked whether he thought the president’s son had engaged in any illegal behavior, Blunt said: “I don’t know that. I mean it may be that on his part the level of being relatively naïve about politics and personal exposure to things that are hard to explain. Harder for Paul Manafort to say that he was naïve, I think. So we’ll see.”
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said he believes the media was overreacting to news of the emails.
“I think this is overblown,” Hatch said. Trump Jr. is “not part of the administration ... (and) he doesn’t have any particular job in the administration,” which reduces the significance.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was asked by reporters four times some variation of whether he had concerns about the meeting or whether it affected his relationship with the Trump administration related to Russia. Each time, he said some version of: “The investigation in the Senate is being handled by the Intelligence Committee, and I’m sure they’ll get to the bottom of whatever may have happened.”
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said he would defer to others to make a judgment on the matter.
“We have a committee looking at that. … I’m sure they’ll get to the bottom of it, and we have a special counsel as well,” Flake said. Asked what he would do if someone offered him damaging information about an opponent from the Russian government during his campaign, he responded: “From the Russian government? I’d go the other way.”
“I think this is overblown. (Trump Jr. is) not part of the administration ... (and) he doesn’t have any particular job in the administration.” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah