Warner: ‘A Lot Of Questions’ About Why Trump Crafted Statement For Son

Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) participates in a hearing to Senate Intelligence Committee on Russia's intelligence activities, at Dirksen Senate Office Buliding in Washington, DC on January 10, 2017. (Photo by Riccardo S... Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) participates in a hearing to Senate Intelligence Committee on Russia's intelligence activities, at Dirksen Senate Office Buliding in Washington, DC on January 10, 2017. (Photo by Riccardo Savi) *** Please Use Credit from Credit Field ***(Sipa via AP Images) MORE LESS
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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. 

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