Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) on Monday said the “optics” of Donald Trump Jr.’s Trump Tower meeting with a Russian attorney are “absolutely terrifying and very disturbing.”
“You’re [President Trump] sending your son, a family member, to talk with a foreign government that is an active enemy, or potential adversary at least, of this country to talk about information that you could use against your opponent?” Dingell said on CNN’s “New Day.” “The optics of that are absolutely terrifying and very disturbing.”
The president on Sunday admitted in a tweet that Trump Jr. went to the meeting to get dirt on Democratic presidential opponent Hillary Clinton, after administration officials released multiple explanations for the 2016 meeting that included the president’s son and an attorney with ties to the Russian government.
The Trump administration has previously stated the meeting was about a fight over allowing U.S. families to adopt children from Russia.
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“In that tweet, he acknowledged his son went to a meeting with representatives of a country that has been an adversary of this country,” Dingell said. “That is something that’s very disturbing, period.”
The Washington Post and CNN on Saturday reported that Trump has ramped up attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation in recent weeks because he is afraid Mueller will ultimately bring legal charges against Trump Jr.
It has previously been reported that the British music producer who set up the meeting between Trump Jr. and the Russian attorney told Trump Jr. that the information she could provide — allegedly compromising information about Clinton — was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.”
“If it’s what you say, I love it,” Trump Jr. replied, according to emails he released himself.