Report: Mueller’s Team Investigating Intent Behind Trump Jr.’s Meeting With Russian Lawyer
- 7 years ago
A team working under special counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly set its sights on Donald Trump Jr.’s controversial meeting with a Russian lawyer.
A team working under special counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly set its sight on Donald Trump Jr.’s controversial meeting with a Russian lawyer last year.
According to BuzzFeed News, a “source familiar with the investigation said that prosecutors have been trying to determine exactly what information was provided and are scrutinizing Trump Jr.’s statements about the meeting.”
The unnamed person also told the media outlet that another area of interest is “his mindset when he met with the Russian attorney on June 9.”
Last month, Trump Jr. released a chain of emails setting up the session, and while he had initially indicated the focus was supposed to be on adoptions, he eventually admitted to going in the hopes of learning potentially incriminating information about Hillary Clinton, notes USA Today.
He has since maintained that nothing substantive came out of the meeting.
However, lawyers familiar with Trump Jr.'s case indicated to Politico that the emails were a “smoking gun.”
According to the media outlet, Peter Zeidenberg, former Justice Department prosecutor, called it “extremely damaging” and that it “certainly shows an intent to collude with Russian government.”
Nevertheless, a Forbes column has pointed out that “collusion, while both unseemly and inviting microscopic and intense scrutiny, is not a criminal act.”
A team working under special counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly set its sight on Donald Trump Jr.’s controversial meeting with a Russian lawyer last year.
According to BuzzFeed News, a “source familiar with the investigation said that prosecutors have been trying to determine exactly what information was provided and are scrutinizing Trump Jr.’s statements about the meeting.”
The unnamed person also told the media outlet that another area of interest is “his mindset when he met with the Russian attorney on June 9.”
Last month, Trump Jr. released a chain of emails setting up the session, and while he had initially indicated the focus was supposed to be on adoptions, he eventually admitted to going in the hopes of learning potentially incriminating information about Hillary Clinton, notes USA Today.
He has since maintained that nothing substantive came out of the meeting.
However, lawyers familiar with Trump Jr.'s case indicated to Politico that the emails were a “smoking gun.”
According to the media outlet, Peter Zeidenberg, former Justice Department prosecutor, called it “extremely damaging” and that it “certainly shows an intent to collude with Russian government.”
Nevertheless, a Forbes column has pointed out that “collusion, while both unseemly and inviting microscopic and intense scrutiny, is not a criminal act.”