Sen. Mark Warner questioned Donald Trump's knowledge of his son's meeting with a Russian lawyer in the wake of an election campaign in 2016. His statements on CNN's "State of the Union" came after the president's party denied that the POTUS was aware of the private caucus which took place at Trump Tower in Manhattan on June 9.
Trump's campaign team and Russia meeting
Several names have been linked to the controversial assembly, including Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort. The three, who were part of the president's campaign team, reportedly sat down with Natalia Veselnitskaya, Rob Goldstone, Rinat Akhmetshin, and at least two others to discuss an adoption policy as to what the presidential son initially told the press.
He, however, changed his statement and confessed that he agreed to meet the Russian lawyer after they offered him damaging information about Hillary Clinton, who was then running against Donald Trump under the Democratic Party ticket. The presidential son even uploaded his exchange of emails with Rob Goldstone, who assisted in setting up the private meeting.
Donald Trump Jr. said he wanted to be transparent about the ongoing issue; hence, he has decided to disclose his conversation with the British publicist. The reams of emails also confirmed that the president's eldest son was fully informed of what the meeting was all about. Meanwhile, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort confirmed their attendance in the private meeting in confidential government documents.
Evidence to reveal the truth
Sen. Mark Warner said it is best to gather the necessary documents before the committee members can question the persons involved in the controversial meeting. Although he is unsure if they can invite the Russians nationals to give their testimony over the issue, the Dem senator is determined to talk to those people who are under their jurisdiction.
He said having all the information will compel the persons involved to disclose what happened during the private meeting. GOP Sen. Susan Collins shared the same sentiment and said that the committee should secure all documents which can be used for questioning.
Meanwhile, Sen. Mark Warner added it is unlikely that the POTUS was not informed about the private meeting. Presidential lawyer Jay Sekulow, however, insisted that the U.S. leader has no knowledge of his eldest son's engagement with Russia during the 2016 election.
