The last and final indignity of the whole Russia debacle was hauling up Don Trump Jr. to the hill to testify again before the Senate. It is fair to say that, Mueller had everything in his hands and could have easily charged Don Jr. for a few of the minor infractions.
But Mueller concluded that Don Jr., a man who is new to politics, didn’t know about certain rules and even if he did, the infractions were minor misdemeanors, not felonies. In other words, it’s time to move on.
This Wednesday, The Daily Mail reported that hen Donald Trump Jr. faced a tense Senate Intelligence Committee grilling, he ignored his own lawyers’ objections to a dozen pointed questions and answered them anyway, according to a source with information of what happened behind closed doors.
Trump Jr. overruled his legal advisers who told him that he shouldn’t answer some questions about discrepancies between his earlier testimony and that of Michael Cohen, President Trump’s disgraced former lawyer who is serving a 3-year prison term for crimes including lying to Congress.
Another source, who was present on Wednesday in the room on Capitol Hill, also confirmed the account.
President Trump’s eldest son told reporters on Capitol Hill after his appearance that ‘there was nothing to change’ about his sworn statements.
“If there needed to be clarification because Michael Cohen – who, let’s not forget, is serving time right now for lying to these very investigative bodies – I’m happy to do that,” he said.
“I don’t think I changed anything of what I’ve said because there was nothing to change. I’m glad that this is finally over [and] we’re able to put some final clarity on that. And I think the committee understands that.”
When asked if he was worried about tempting Democrats to seek a perjury charge against him, Trump Jr. responded: “Not at all.”
The source who spoke to The Daily Mail early on Wednesday afternoon also stated that Trump Jr. was eager to deny Democrats on the committee the opportunity to say he was evasive or refused to give them any information they demanded.
He emerged afterward wearing a wide grin after three hours in the hot seat.
Republican committee chairman Sen. Richard Burr subpoenaed him for his testimony as part of the committee’s Russia probe. Later shortened the length of Wednesday’s follow-up interview following negotiations prompted by the subpoena.
Trump Jr. had already appeared before the same panel and the Senate Judiciary Committee back in 2017, delivering around 20 hours of testimony.
Investigators were expected to push Trump Jr. for more info about an aborted Trump Tower deal in Moscow that former Trump Organization lawyer Michael Cohen testified he was negotiating through the summer of 2016 as Trump was running for president.
Trump Jr. told the Judiciary Committee in 2017 that he was only “peripherally aware” of the later-abandoned deal. Cohen provided a memorandum of understanding and proposed sketches that came along with it.
The committee also asked about the infamous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting that Trump Jr. attended, and which was featured in Robert Mueller’s report.
The report stated that there were “reasonable arguments” that the foreign dirt on campaign rival Hillary Clinton offered to set up the meeting constituted a “thing of value.”
A source close to Trump Jr. spoke with The Daily Mail and told them that he was frustrated to read news coverage that failed to explain the questions would concern disagreement between his testimony and that of Michael Cohen and Rick Gates.
“The two people where he has conflicting testimony are going to jail for lying,” the source said while declining to be identified. “If Don’s being questioned about the testimony of two people who would say anything to get themselves out of a jam and are going to jail, or are in jail, for lying to these bodies, that’s a stretch.”
“If Robert Mueller and his dream team of 19 left-wing Hillary Clinton donors could have gotten Don Jr. for perjury, they would have,” the person added. “But it’s a desperate attempt by these committees to keep this BS going.”