Trump Jr. grilled for seven hours
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump Jr. met behind closed doors for roughly seven hours Wednesday with the House Intelligence Committee, fielding questions about contacts he had with Russians during the 2016 campaign.
Committee members queried President Donald Trump's eldest son about a June 2016 meeting he held with a Russian lawyer after he was told she would provide damaging information about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. He was also asked about his contact with WikiLeaks in October 2016, around the time the group was releasing hacked Democratic emails, according to people familiar with the session.
Trump Jr. told the committee he did not inform his father about his meeting with the Russian lawyer at the time it took place. He also said he had not told Trump that he exchanged private messages with the WikiLeaks Twitter account, according to the sources.
Trump Jr. had met with investigators for the Senate Judiciary Committee in September, but his Wednesday session with the House committee was the first opportunity lawmakers have had to ask Trump Jr. questions directly, instead of leaving that to investigative staff.
Trump Jr. told the committee that he did not speak to the president directly in July 2017 as the New York Times prepared to report his meeting with the Russian lawyer for the first time. Instead, he told the committee he had communicated only with Trump communications director Hope Hicks to discuss how to respond to the Times' inquiries.
At the time, Hicks was on board Air Force One with Trump.
The Washington Post has reported that the president dictated the statement Trump Jr. released that day about the meeting. The statement omitted key facts about the session.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Wednesday that Trump Jr. told the committee he did speak with his father about the Trump Tower meeting several days later.
Trump Jr. also told the committee he had been unaware that national security adviser-designate Michael Flynn had discussed sanctions during phone calls with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in December 2016.