Dem Sen: Donald Trump Jr. Russian Meeting Emails Are 'Jaw-Dropping' | MTP Daily

>>> I'VE SAID MANY TIMES IN THE PAST THERE'S ANOTHER SHOE THAT
WILL DROP AND THERE WILL BE OTHER SHOES THAT WILL DROP.
>> THIS CONSTANT DRIP, DRIP, DRIP TO BE ABLE TO GET ONE MORE
PIECE FROM ONE MORE STORY OR SOMETHING DOESN'T HELP THE WHITE
HOUSE, DOESN'T HELP OUR INVESTIGATION.
LET'S GET IT ALL. >> IT'S REALLY SIGNIFICANT THAT
IT DOESN'T APPEAR THAT WHEN THEY HAD INFORMATION THAT THIS PERSON
MIGHT BE CONNECTED WITH THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT OR A RUSSIAN
NATIONAL THAT THEY DIDN'T IMMEDIATELY CALL THE FBI.
>> IF THERE WAS AN E-MAIL SUGGESTING THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT WANTED TO HELP YOU AND YOU TOOK THE MEETING, THAT'S
PROBLEMATIC. >> SOME REACTION FROM CAPITOL
HILL TO TODAY'S BOMBSHELL REVELATION THAT DONALD TRUMP JR.
WAS SEEMINGLY EAGER TO ACCEPT "INCRIMINATING INFORMATION"
ABOUT HILLARY CLINTON FROM THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT.
JOINING ME NOW IS DELAWARE DEMOCRATIC SENATOR CHRIS COONS
WHO'S A REMEMBER OF THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE.
SO LOVELY TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
WHAT WAS YOUR OFFICIAL REACTION TO THIS NEWS?
DO YOU WANT TO SEE DON JR. COME TESTIFY ON CAPITOL HILL?
>> ABSOLUTELY. KATY-I THOUGHT THIS WAS
JAW-DROPPING. WHEN I WAS SHOWN THESE TWEETS BY
DONALD TRUMP JR. EARLIER TODAY I WAS FLOORED.
FIRST THE IDEA THAT HE WOULD PUBLICLY CHOOSE TO SHARE THESE
E-MAILS AND THEN WHAT THOSE E-MAILS SAID.
THAT HE WAS OFFERED THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A MEETING
WITH SOMEONE TO GET INCRIMINATING INFORMATION ABOUT
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S OPPONENT, THE FORMER SECRETARY HILLARY
CLINTON, THAT IN THOSE E-MAILS IT WAS MADE CLEAR THAT THIS
OFFER WAS ON BEHALF OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT AND THEIR
ALLEGED ONGOING EFFORT TO SUPPORT HIS FATHER'S CAMPAIGN,
AND THAT HE WOULD BE MEETING WITH A RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT
LAWYER. THAT'S WHAT THE E-MAIL
SUGGESTED. AND THAT HIS RESPONSE WASN'T TO
BE SHOCKED OR CONCERNED OR ALARMED.
HIS RESPONSE WASN'T TO SAY I NEED TO HAND THIS OVER TO THE
FBI. BUT TO SAY THAT SOUNDS GREAT,
WHERE AND WHEN CAN WE MEET. AND THAT HE THEN SUBSEQUENTLY
ORGANIZED A MEETING WITH DONALD TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN MANAGER PAUL

JOINING DONALD TRUMP JR. THIS PUTS TO BED THE IDEA THERE
WAS NO COLLUSION, NO ATTEMPTS, NO EFFORTS AT CONNECTING WITH
THE RUSSIANS. IT'S CLEARLY NOW FACT THAT
DONALD TRUMP JR. WHEN OFFERED AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A MEETING
WITH A RUSSIAN ATTORNEY WHO REPRESENTED HERSELF AS HAVING
THESE MATERIALS, HE GLEEFULLY ACCEPTED THAT OPPORTUNITY.
>> SENATOR, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE AGREEING WITH YOUR COLLEAGUE RON
WYDEN ABOUT HOW THIS IS -- IT'S NO LONGER A QUESTION THAT DONALD
TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN SOUGHT TO COLLUDE WITH RUSSIA.
ONE, DO YOU THINK THAT IS THE CASE?
AND TWO, IS IT A CRIME IF THEY DID?
>> WELL, I THINK IT'S A LEGAL CONCLUSION THAT WE SHOULD LEAVE
TO BOB MUELLER TO REACH. WHETHER OR NOT THIS MAKES OUT
THE ELEMENT OF A CRIME AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S A'S A CHARGEAB
OFFENSE. BUT THIS IS EXACTLY WHY IT IS SO
IMPORTANT THAT WE CONTINUE TO HAVE A WELL-RESOURCED
INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION LED BY SOMEONE WHO IS A RESPECTED
LONG-TERM FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADER LIKE BOB
MUELLER, AND IT'SY THINK IT'S SO IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE THAT WE
HAVE A GENUINELY BIPARTISAN INVESTIGATION MOVING FORWARD BY
THE SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE AND BY THE SENATE
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE ON WHICH I SERVE.
I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT SO THAT THE GENERAL PUBLIC CAN HAVE
CONFIDENCE THAT WE'LL GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS.
EARLIER TODAY I SAW KELLYANNE CONWAY SUGGESTING ON TN TELEVIS
THAT THIS IS THE SORT OF THING EVERY CAMPAIGN DOES, THAT THIS
IS OPPOSITION RESEARCH AND THAT THERE'S REALLY NOTHING TO BE
CONCERNED ABOUT HERE BECAUSE NO VALUABLE INFORMATION WAS
EXCHANGED. AS SOMEONE WHO HAS STOOD FOR
ELECTION SEVERAL TIMES, I'LL SAY THAT'S NOT THE CASE.
THAT OPPOSITION RESEARCH IS TYPICALLY DONE BY CAMPAIGNS.
EMBRACING INFORMATION OFFERED BY A HOSTILE FOREIGN POWER, THAT'S
NOT TYPICALLY PART OF CAMPAIGNS. >> SENATOR, I'M SORRY FOR
INTERRUPTING YOU A COUPLE TIMES. YOUR COLLEAGUE TIM KAINE WENT
FURTHER. HE SAID THIS COULD POTENTIALLY
BE MOVING TOWARD TREASON. DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT'S A LEGAL CONCLUSION THAT I WOULDN'T YET
REACH. I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF
INVESTIGATING YET TO DO. AND I THINK THE ELEMENTS THAT
WOULD MAKE UP A CHARGE THAT SERIOUS, I DON'T YET SEE.
BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE RECOGNIZE THIS IS EXACTLY WHY
WE HAVE TO HAVE THOROUGH, BIPARTISAN INVESTIGATIONS.
THIS IS A MOMENT FOR SENATORS, FOR ELECTED LEADERS IN THE HOUSE
AND SENATE TO PUT ASIDE PARTISANSHIP, TO THINK ABOUT
WHAT'S IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE COUNTRY AND TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE GET TT TO THE BOTTOM OFL THIS.
IT IS STRIKING TO ME HOW MANY DIFFERENT SENIOR OFFICIALS WHO
WERE EITHER LEADERS IN THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN OR THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION HAD MEETINGS WITH SENIOR REPUBLICAN -- EXCUSE ME,
WITH SENIOR RUSSIANS OR RUSSIAN INDIVIDUALS, FORGOT TO DISCLOSE
THAT AS THEY WERE REQUIRED TO. IN THE CASE OF MIKE FLYNN OR
JEFF SESSIONS OR JARED KUSHNER. AND THAT THIS SEEMS TO ME TO BE
A PATTERN WHERE IF THIS GROUP HAS NOTHING TO HIDE THEY'VE
HIDDEN A FAIR AMOUNT. >> SPEAKING OF THAT, AND I WANT
TO GET A COUPLE MORE QUESTIONS IN, SO I'M GOING TO BE QUICK.
JARED KUSHNER WAS ALSO IN THAT MEETING.
HE LEFT THIS OFF HIS DISCLOSURE FORM.
DO YOU THINK HE SHOULD STILL HAVE SECURITY CLEARANCE?
>> I THINK IT WOULD BE HIGH TIME TO REVIEW THAT AS TO WHETHER OR
NOT HE DESERVES ONGOING SECURITY CLEARANCE.
>> AND THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS DONALD TRUMP WAS IN THE
BUILDING AT THE TIME. THIS MEETING HAPPENED ON THE
25th FLOOR. DONALD TRUMP'S OFFICE IS ON THE
26th FLOOR. WE KNOW HE WAS IN TRUMP TOWER AT
4:00 P.M. THAT DAY. ARE YOU THINKING THAT MAYBE
THERE SHOULD BE SOME SORT OF SENATE SUBPOENA REQUEST TO FIND
OUT WHETHER OR NOT DONALD TRUMP WENT TO THAT MEETING?
>> WELL, I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE DOCUMENT REQUESTS GO OUT THAT
ARE WIDE IN THEIR SCOPE. I THINK THIS TAKES US BACK TO A
FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION IN A PREVIOUS SIMILAR MATTER.
CORE QUESTION HERE IS WHAT DID THE PRESIDENT KNOW AND WHEN DID
HE KNOW IT? DID HE KNOW ABOUT THIS MEETING?
WAS HE AWARE OF THIS PROFFER? AND I'M STRUCK AT HOW
UNSURPRISED DONALD TRUMP JR. SEEMED TO BE TO GET AN E-MAIL
SAYING THAT THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT WAS TRYING TO HELP
HIS FATHER'S CAMPAIGN. >> AND LET US NOTE THAT DONALD
TRUMP'S LAWYER HAS SAID THAT HE WAS NOT IN THAT MEETING AND HE
ONLY LEARNED ABOUT IT

Dem Sen: Donald Trump Jr. Russian Meeting Emails Are 'Jaw-Dropping' | MTP Daily | MSNBC

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