Donald Trump Jr. is scheduled to testify behind closed doors before the Senate Intelligence Committee Wednesday, following a subpoena from the GOP-led committee’s chairman, CNN was first to report.
According to two people familiar with the plans who spoke to the Associated Press, Senators want to go over the Trump Jr.’s 2017 testimony before the Intelligence Committee, as well as the answers he gave the Senate Judiciary Committee that same year. Lawmakers are interested in his assertion that he was only “peripherally aware” of the plans to pursue a Trump Tower in Moscow.
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen indicated in his congressional testimony ahead of his jail sentencing that Trump Jr. communicated with him about the project at least 1o times. Lawmakers are also interested in comparing Trump Jr.’s testimony to the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, including the answers he gave about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC) received considerable backlash from his Republican colleagues for the bipartisan move to subpoena Trump Jr. However, Trump Jr. forced the committee’s hand, according to multiple reports, by backing out of scheduled interviews at least twice before the subpoena was delivered.
