Donald Trump Jr. claimed in a statement on July 8 that his meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower in June of last year had been "primarily" to discuss "a program about the adoption of Russian children," a comment now known to be misleading. Trump Jr. later admitted he met with the Russian lawyer after having been tempted by the promise of dirt on Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr.'s July 8 statement, though, was reportedly "personally dictated" not by Trump Jr. but by his father, President Trump, and it is at the heart of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's newest interest in the ongoing probe into Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 election, CNN reports.
Mueller and his team are reportedly looking to speak to staffers who were traveling on Air Force One with President Trump when he allegedly dictated his son's statement. "Mueller wants to know how the statement aboard Air Force One was put together, whether information was intentionally left out, and who was involved," people with knowledge of the probe told CNN. "Mueller's questions could go to the issue of intent and possible efforts to conceal information during an obstruction of justice investigation."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
'The disconnect between actual health care and the insurance model is widening'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Cautious optimism surrounds plans for the world's first nuclear fusion power plantTalking Point Some in the industry feel that the plant will face many challenges
-
Explore new worlds this winter at these 6 enlightening museum exhibitionsThe Week Recommends Discover the estrados of Spain and the connection between art and chess in various African countries
-
ABC News to pay $15M in Trump defamation suitSpeed Read The lawsuit stemmed from George Stephanopoulos' on-air assertion that Trump was found liable for raping writer E. Jean Carroll
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments lawSpeed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security lawSpeed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitutionspeed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidenceSpeed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulationsSpeed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriageSpeed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
