Donald Trump Jr. does a complete flip-flop on whether he knew about campaign staffers meeting with Russians


Newly released interview transcripts from the Senate Judiciary Committee show Donald Trump Jr. struggling, in real time, to keep his story straight.
The panel interviewed Trump Jr. about the 2016 meeting between Trump campaign officials and a Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer who came to offer "dirt" on then-candidate Hillary Clinton. Lawmakers wanted to know whether Trump Jr. knew of any interactions between Trump campaign personnel and Russian government officials. "I was aware of none," said Trump Jr., in a seemingly definitive statement within his I-don't-remember-filled interview.
So Trump Jr. didn't even know about the meetings between Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, then-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and senior adviser Jared Kushner? "If I could scratch my last statement," Trump Jr. said, "yes, I did read about that after the fact."
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.
Okay, let the record show that Trump Jr. knew about the meetings, but not until they were reported in the press. But lawmakers pressed further: Did Trump Jr. know about the meetings when they occurred? "I knew of something," said Trump Jr. "I believe there was a meeting there. I wasn't part of the meeting, but yes, I believe I was aware that it had occurred."
Trump Jr.'s redo constituted a complete 180 on his original answer, though he didn't offer any additional detail on what he knew about the meetings. The president's son additionally said that he had walked in on a December 2016 meeting between Flynn, Kushner, and Kislyak that took place in his office, but said he didn't know what it was about and didn't stay to find out. Read the full interview transcript here.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
-
Trump hawks Teslas, slashes more federal jobs
Speed Read The Education Department cut its workforce in half ahead of an expected Trump order to shutter the agency
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine agrees to ceasefire, ending US aid freeze
Speed Read Kyiv made peace with the Trump administration by agreeing to an immediate ceasefire in its war against Russian invaders
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
ICE arrests Palestinian advocate with green card
Speed Read Recent Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil has had his visa revoked, despite his status as a permanent resident
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump doesn't rule out recession as tariffs bite
Speed Read In an interview for Fox News, Trump acknowledges the economic turbulence caused by his tariffs but claims his policies will be worth it in the long run
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Mark Carney selected next Canadian prime minister
Speed Read The political novice will succeed outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump eases Mexico, Canada tariffs again as markets slide
speed read The president suspended some of the 25% tariffs he imposed on Mexican and Canadian imports
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump tells Cabinet they are in charge of layoffs, not Musk
Speed Read The White House has faced mounting complaints about DOGE's sweeping cuts
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rep. Sylvester Turner dies, weeks after joining House
Speed Read The former Houston mayor and longtime state legislator left behind a final message for Trump: 'Don't mess with Medicaid'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published