The Latest on the probes into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia (all times local) :
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on the probes into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia (all times local) :
9: 40 p.m.
A new report says the man who set up a meeting last week for a Russian lawyer to give Donald Trump Jr. potentially damaging material about Hillary Clinton indicated in an email to Trump Jr. that the Russian government was the source of the information.
The New York Times report Monday cited three unnamed people with knowledge of the email from music publicist Rob Goldstone.
Goldstone spoke to The Associated Press earlier Monday to confirm he set up the meeting on behalf of his client, a Russian singer. Goldstone said the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, stated she had information about purported illegal campaign contributions to the Democratic National Committee that she thought Trump Jr. might find helpful.
Trump Jr. has acknowledged taking the meeting to learn damaging information about Clinton. But this would be the first public word he had been made aware the material could have been emanating from the Kremlin.
___
5: 15 p.m.
The Senate Intelligence Committee’s top Democrat says he « absolutely » wants to hear from President Donald Trump’s eldest son about a meeting he had last year with a Russian lawyer to hear information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner says, « This is the first time that the public has seen clear evidence of senior-level members of the Trump campaign meeting with Russians » to obtain information damaging to Clinton.
Warner wouldn’t say if he already knew about Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting as part of his panel’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Warner says the revelations « move us forward, and we expect much more to come. »
Trump Jr. tweeted Monday that he’s « happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know. »
___
4: 35 p.m.
The eldest son of President Donald Trump has retained a New York-based lawyer to represent him.
Alan Futerfas confirmed in an email to The Associated Press on Monday that he’s the lawyer for Donald Trump Jr., who has acknowledged meeting during the presidential campaign with a Russian lawyer whom he thought might have negative information on Hillary Clinton.
Congressional committees and Special Counsel Robert Mueller are investigating whether Russia coordinated with Trump campaign associates to sway the presidential election. Trump Jr. said Monday on Twitter that he was « happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know. »
The president has his own legal team. His son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Vice President Mike Pence are also among those with lawyers.
___
4: 25 p.m.
A close friend of FBI Director James Comey is disputing a tweet from President Donald Trump that accuses Comey of having leaked classified information to the media.
Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman says the one memo whose substance was revealed to news organizations in May was not classified.
That memo described a February meeting in which Comey says Trump asked him to end an FBI investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Comey has testified that he authorized Richman to disclose details of that memo to The New York Times. Richman told The Associated Press on Monday that it was not classified.
Trump’s tweet, which referenced a « Fox & Friends » tweet, followed an article in The Hill newspaper suggesting that some memos Comey wrote contained classified information.
___
3: 35 p.m.
The White House says sanctions related to Russian election meddling were discussed in the meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.
The statement from the White House on Monday is a direct contradiction to comments tweeted by Trump a day earlier.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Monday that « sanctions specific to election meddling were discussed » in Friday’s meeting with Putin.
Trump tweeted on Sunday: « Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian & Syrian problems are solved! »
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarity.
___
3 p.m.
President Donald Trump’s eldest son says he’s willing to communicate with the Senate Intelligence committee.
Donald Trump Jr. tweeted Monday that he’s « happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know » after a senior Republican on the panel said he should be interviewed. Maine Sen. Susan Collins said the committee should talk to Trump’s son about a meeting he and other Trump associates had last year with a Russian lawyer to hear information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort accompanied Donald Trump Jr. to the Trump Tower meeting with Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.
Trump Jr. said he was told the person he was to meet with might have information that would be « helpful » to the Trump campaign.
__
12: 05 p.m.
A music publicist says he set up a meeting between a Russian lawyer and Donald Trump’s eldest son on behalf of a client in Moscow named Emin Agalarov.
In a statement to The Associated Press on Monday, Rob Goldstone says the lawyer said she had information about purported illegal campaign contributions to the Democratic National Committee that she thought Donald Trump Jr. might find helpful.
Goldstone says Trump Jr. agreed to squeeze the meeting into a tight schedule.
Trump appeared in a music video with Agalarov in 2013. The video was filmed while Trump was in Russia for the Miss Universe pageant.
__
11: 40 a.m.
A senior Republican on the Senate Intelligence committee says the panel should interview President Donald Trump’s eldest son about a meeting he and other Trump associates had last year with a Russian lawyer to hear information about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told reporters on Monday that « our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting » as part of the panel’s probe into Russian interference in last year’s election and possible collusion between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort accompanied Donald Trump Jr. to the Trump Tower meeting with Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.
Donald Trump Jr. said he was told the person he was to meet with might have information that would be « helpful » to the Trump campaign.
__
11 a.m.
President Donald Trump’s eldest son is appearing to acknowledge that he took a meeting with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 presidential campaign to hear information about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
