In a flurry of tweets on Sunday morning where he again lashed out at the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections and any ties to his campaign, President Donald Trump acknowledged that his son had met with a Russian lawyer in June of 2016 in order to get ‘dirt’ on Hillary Clinton, making clear that previous explanations saying it was a meeting about U.S.-Russian adoption policies were not true.
“This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics – and it went nowhere,” said Mr. Trump in a tweet, rejecting press stories this weekend that he is concerned that his son Donald Jr. could be in legal jeopardy over the meeting.
The original story about the June 9, 2016 meeting, where Trump Jr., the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and top campaign aide Paul Manafort, met with Russia lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, was that the group “primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children.”
But that Russian adoption cover story has now changed – though the President again on Sunday denied that he knew about the meeting with the Russian lawyer in advance.
Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my wonderful son, Donald, had in Trump Tower. This was a meeting to get information on an opponent, totally legal and done all the time in politics - and it went nowhere. I did not know about it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2018
...Why aren’t Mueller and the 17 Angry Democrats looking at the meetings concerning the Fake Dossier and all of the lying that went on in the FBI and DOJ? This is the most one sided Witch Hunt in the history of our country. Fortunately, the facts are all coming out, and fast!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2018
Too bad a large portion of the Media refuses to report the lies and corruption having to do with the Rigged Witch Hunt - but that is why we call them FAKE NEWS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2018
The Fake News hates me saying that they are the Enemy of the People only because they know it’s TRUE. I am providing a great service by explaining this to the American People. They purposely cause great division & distrust. They can also cause War! They are very dangerous & sick!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 5, 2018
On an extended summer break at his New Jersey golf course, the President’s comments on Twitter about the Russia investigation came as the Special Counsel’s office is still trying to reach an agreement for testimony by Mr. Trump in the investigation of Russian interference in 2016.
On the ABC News program, “This Week,” one of the President’s attorneys said any effort to force Mr. Trump to talk would result in a legal fight that might get to the nation’s highest court.
Pres. Trump's attorney Jay Sekulow says if special counsel Robert Mueller were to subpoena Trump to testify in the Russia investigation, it would spark a legal battle that would go to the Supreme Court https://t.co/CVDPt82gep #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/g2PeApRRwO
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) August 5, 2018
Sekulow was also pressed on why he also had said that the Trump Tower meeting was about adoption.
“I had bad information at that time and made a mistake in my statement,” Sekulow said on ABC, as he said that, “over time facts develop.”
As one might expect, Democrats in the Congress were less than charitable in their reaction to the President’s Sunday tweets.
The Russians offered damaging info on your opponent. Your campaign accepted. And the Russians delivered.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) August 5, 2018
You then misled the country about the purpose of the Trump Tower meeting when it became public.
Now you say you didn’t know in advance. None of this is normal or credible. https://t.co/AEDYiIbXyY
Conspiring with a foreign power to get dirt on an opponent in US elections is a violation of campaign finance laws.
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) August 5, 2018
This tweet by @realDonaldTrump also shows he lied when he drafted the statement about the meeting. It wasn't about Russian adoptions.#SundayMorning Thoughts https://t.co/Dp5RYbxYDT
In July of 2017, Trump Jr. was forced to acknowledge that the meeting had not been about adoption, as emails showed the subject line was, "Russia – Clinton – private and confidential," offering what was characterized as "Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."
WPXI