Podesta: Details of Russian meetings ‘starting to smell more and more like collusion’

John Podesta, the former chairman for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, on Monday said the revelation of President Trump officials’ contacts with Russia is beginning to smell “like collusion.”

“You know, it’s starting to smell more and more like collusion to the public,” Podesta told MSNBC’s “All in with Chris Hayes.”

“Donald Trump Jr. said that he specifically went to the meeting with the hopes of soliciting negative information about Hillary,” Podesta noted, referencing a New York Times report said that Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer after being promised harmful information about Clinton.

{mosads}Trump Jr. confirmed the meeting, but said the lawyer did not have such opposition research.

Podesta was the victim of an email hack during the presidential campaign, and many of his stolen emails were published by WikiLeaks, which Clinton campaign officials have argued hurt the campaign. That hack is part of multiple investigations into Russian election interference and possible ties between Trump campaign officials and Moscow. 

Podesta emphasized to MSNBC the need “to get the facts straight,” as the special counsel continues its probe into Russia’s attempts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

“When a foreign national’s coming in with that kind of information, you have to ask your lawyers,” he said.

“I think the House and Senate Intelligence committees are going to want to get to the bottom” of this, Podesta said, referencing the ongoing probes in both chambers of Congress.