A new report indicates that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is looking to interview White House staffers over a misleading statement made over Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer in June 2016.
After the story that Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer in Trump Tower was revealed to the Trump administration, the individuals within the administration put together a statement on Air Force One that mischaracterized the meeting. The statement, issued to The New York Times, characterized the meeting as discussing a “program about the adoption of Russian children.”
Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner were also present at the meeting.
It was later revealed that President Trump himself was involved in issuing Trump Jr.’s statement.
The statement was partially true. However, it later emerged that the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, landed the meeting with Trump Jr. by explicitly promising dirt on Hillary Clinton, to which Trump Jr. responded “I love it.”
Trump Jr. revealed the emails by tweeting them out himself:
Here’s my statement and the full email chain pic.twitter.com/x050r5n5LQ
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017
Mueller is now attempting to interview White House staff about the statement and how it was crafted, CNN reports.
Mueller has been appointed to investigate allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election.
President Trump has characterized the Trump-Russia allegations as the “greatest witch hunt in political history.”
My son Donald did a good job last night. He was open, transparent and innocent. This is the greatest Witch Hunt in political history. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2017
This news comes after Don Jr. spoke to the Senate Thursday, explaining that he took the meeting to get information on Hillary Clinton and her “fitness” for office. (RELATED: Here’s Don Jr.’s Latest Explanation For Why He Took That Russia Meeting)