White House: Trump Jr. did not collude with Russia

President Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., did nothing inappropriate by meeting with a Russian lawyer who promised damaging information on Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, a White House spokesperson said Monday.

“Don Jr. did not collude with anybody to influence the election,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters during an off-camera briefing. “Don Jr. took a very short meeting from which there was absolutely no follow-up.” 

{mosads}Trump’s eldest son met with the Kremlin-connected lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016. The disclosure has roiled the federal investigation into Russian election interference, which is examining whether any Trump associates cooperated with Russians in the effort.

The president only learned of the meeting, which took place in his Manhattan high-rise, “in the last couple of days,” Sanders said on Monday.

She added that it was routine for people to contact political campaigns offering opposition research on opponents.

“The only thing I see inappropriate about the meeting was the people that leaked the information on the meeting after it was voluntarily disclosed,” she said.

“If you’re looking for an example of a campaign coordinating with a foreign country or a foreign source, look no further than the DNC,” she said.