CNN senior political analyst David Gergen said revelations of a meeting Donald Trump Jr. had in 2016 with a Russian lawyer and the ensuing explanations of the administration of President Donald Trump may result in one of the most incompetent cover-ups ever seen, the Washington Examiner reported Saturday.
CNN senior political analyst David Gergen said revelations of a meeting Donald Trump Jr. had in 2016 with a Russian lawyer and the ensuing explanations of the administration of President Donald Trump may result in “one of the most incompetent cover-ups” ever seen, the Washington Examiner reported Saturday.
“This may go down as one of the most incompetent cover-ups we have ever had, ” Gergen told a CNN panel Friday. “Absolutely.”
Gergen, who served as an adviser to four presidents, described the manner Trump Jr. and the president released conflicting accounts of the meeting as “stupidity.” Also present at the meeting were then Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
As information about the meeting continued to unfold, it was revealed during the week that a former Russian spy, now working as a lobbyist, was also present at the meeting. Gergen questioned whether the meeting during last year’s contentious presidential campaign broke any laws.
“We don’t know, of course, whether this meeting brought violations of the law, ” Gergen said. “But, we do know in the aftermath there has been a pattern, a very clear pattern, of dishonest, misleading statements that — and that represents stupidity as well. Because clearly more was going to come out.”
“For them to issue a statement that made it all look very innocent about adoption of children. And, we’ve had now three versions. And, disturbingly, The New York Times, CNN has pointed out, that Donald Trump himself apparently approved at least two of the misleading statements, and they’ve been blown out of the water, ” he added.
Critics have pointed to the meeting as evidence the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians in the 2016 election.
Gergen maintained the conflicting accounts about the meeting meant it was not possible to believe any new reports Trump Jr. might release about what took place.
