Here’s What We Know About the Donald Trump Jr. Email Scandal
The Trumps are certainly no strangers to controversy. The president’s administration has been involved in countless issues and controversial moves since day one. And while there have been plenty of complaints about Ivanka Trump‘s role in Washington, this time around it’s Donald Trump Jr. who’s found himself in hot water.
Earlier this week, the New York Times dropped a bombshell saying that Trump Jr. had been in communication with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign. The Times initially reported that Trump Jr. told them the meeting was about an adoption program, but later published a follow-up, reporting that he agreed to the meeting after being promised damaging information on his father’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.
The Times also reported that the meeting was attended by the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, as well as Paul Manafort, the campaign chairman at the time.
Amid the reports, Trump Jr. released copies of his emails about the meeting via Twitter, with a statement saying that his intention was to be transparent about what occurred a year ago during his father’s campaign. The emails — a series of messages between Trump Jr. and publicist Rob Goldstone — include references to a “Russian government attorney” and “Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.”
Here's my statement and the full email chain pic.twitter.com/x050r5n5LQ
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017
Here is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints). pic.twitter.com/z1Xi4nr2gq
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017
Trump Jr. then appeared on Fox News’ Hannity last night to further address the situation, saying, “In retrospect, I probably would have done things a little differently.”
The president, for one, is behind his son 100 percent. After Trump Jr.’s appearance on Hannity, POTUS tweeted, “My son Donald did a good job last night. He was open, transparent and innocent. This is the greatest Witch Hunt in political history. Sad!” White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders also shared a statement from the president with reporters on Tuesday: “My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency. Beyond that I’m going to have to refer everything beyond this matter to Don Jr.’s counsel and outside counsel.”
My son Donald did a good job last night. He was open, transparent and innocent. This is the greatest Witch Hunt in political history. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2017
What do you think about Donald Trump Jr.’s emails/meeting with a Russian lawyer? Let us know @BritandCo.
(Photos via John Moore + Ethan Miller/Getty)