Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Wants Donald Trump Jr. To Testify

UNITED STATES - MAY 8: Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, listens as former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates testify during the Senate Judiciary, Subcommittee o... UNITED STATES - MAY 8: Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, listens as former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates testify during the Senate Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism hearing on "Russian Interference in the 2016 United States Election" on Monday, May 8, 2017. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images) MORE LESS
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The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday said he wants Donald Trump Jr. to testify before the committee, following emails showing Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer he believed would provide dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to aide his father’s campaign.

What would you want to ask him or learn about?” CNN’s Manu Raju asked Grassley Thursday. “Why is this under your committee’s jurisdiction?”

“Well, very much because our oversight of the Justice Department,” Grassley said. “And I think it’s just — it’s raised a lot of questions, but the real way that I feel comfortable inviting him is ever since I’ve — ever since President Trump was elected, it seems like every conversation that has come from somebody in the family where there’s been some sort of issue, they’ve seemed always to be very, very open, and I just think that he would welcome the opportunity to say whatever he wants to say.”

“Would you subpoena him” if he did not agree to testify voluntarily? Raju asked.

“Let’s wait and see what he does for, from our letter,” Grassley responded before walking away.

Taylor Foy, a spokesman for the Judiciary Committee, told TPM in an email that the committee had not yet sent an invitation to Trump Jr. to testify.

In emails Trump Jr. released just before a New York Times report on them Tuesday, the then-candidate’s son is seen responding enthusiastically to the promise of dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to aide his father’s 2016 presidential campaign.

After Trump Jr. published the emails, several senators on both sides of the aisle in the Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committees said the Trump scion should testify about the resulting June 9 meeting between him, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort, and the Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

On Wednesday, the Des Moines Register reported, Grassley told Iowa reporters on a press call that he intended to bring Manafort in front of the committee to answer questions.

This post has been updated.

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Notable Replies

  1. “it seems like every conversation that has come from somebody in the family where there’s been some sort of issue, they’ve seemed always to be very, very open…”
    I know that pot was legalized in D.C. Does Mr. Grassley feel compelled now to partake because of his last name? He’s got to be high with that statement.

  2. Grassley knows that Jr will have to talk to at least one committee and he wants it to be his to try to give him the easiest time.

  3. The good news is Grassley wants to move his Judiciary into the investigative game. The bad news is he is barking up the wrong tree entirely.

    He should be asking Sessions if his sudden settlement on the Russian money laundering case, just as it was getting ready to start trial, was tied to Ms. V. being the defense attorney.

    I think the only angle he has with the line he is indicating here is, to pressure Sessions to start prosecuting Junior right away.

    But since he isn’t ready to issues subpoenas, Junior isn’t going to answer any of his questions.

  4. Dear Matt,

    aid [eyd]
    verb (used with object)

    1. to provide support for or relief to; help: to aid the homeless victims of the fire.
    2. to promote the progress or accomplishment of; facilitate.

    aide [eyd]
    noun

    1. nurse’s aide.
    2. an aide-de-camp.
    3. an assistant or helper, especially a confidential one.

    Just thought you’d like to know, just in case you ever decide to write professionally.
    P.S. Spell check won’t pick this up. You have to know it.

  5. So junior, this email tweet…was it a selfie-death or suicide?

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