Cameron Joseph contributed reporting.
The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee says news that broke late Monday about President Donald Trump helping his son craft a statement about a meeting with a Russian lawyer and allegations that the White House worked with Fox News to push out a since-retracted Seth Rich murder conspiracy story prove why his committee’s investigation is necessary.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said the stories are evidence of a “pattern” that the White House is trying to “undercut the evidence about Russian intervention in our election.”
“I’ve seen all this and, again, it seems for an individual that keeps saying ‘there’s no there there,’ they’re sure not acting that way,” he said. “When you see Donald Trump Jr., a lot of questions will be asked about why the President himself personally intervened, why was he trying to deliberately sign off on something he must have known was false? And the questions around the allegation on Air Force One, basically putting out something, urging his son to put out a statement that was deliberately— hid all the facts.”
He said his committee will likely question Trump Jr. about why the initial statement made it sound like the meeting was about adoptions when the “subject was trying to offer bad information about Hillary Clinton.”
“This is a pattern we continue to see and why both our investigation and Mueller’s investigation continues to be so important,” referencing special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russia meddling in the election.
Warner wouldn’t say if or when Trump Jr. will testify before the Senate committee.
“The judiciary has its approach, our role is we have a counterterrorism investigation that is ongoing. It’s going to be thorough, complete and I still hope we will reach a bipartisan conclusion,” he said.
A lot of questions, perhaps, but the answer is always “Obstruction of justice.”
Nonsense. My father always created cover stories for me when I colluded with foreign hostile governments.
Now, Senator… you should have listened to Hucksterbee today. She done 'splained it all. Any father would do that.
I’m sorry but these asshole legislators had an opportunity to put these fuckers like Jared under oath and capitulated at the last minute to his demands. I’m sick of stupid statements like it raises “a lot of questions” or “this new development is concerning”. Enough already. Whether they’re Dems or Rethugs, the response does not seem to match the latest bombshell being revealed. It should make their hair on fire and demand answers, drag in the appropriate witnesses under oath and get to the bottom of this. I understand they want to wait on everything Mueller is doing but by almost abdicating their role, these legislators are really just doing a pathetic song and dance every time something new is revealed. Are they up to the task or not??
"You must obey the law, always, not only when they grab you by your special place." – Vladimir Putin