Donald Trump Jr testified he 'could not remember' if he told father about controversial meeting with Russian lawyer

Donald Trump Jr testified before senators that he “could not remember” if he told his father about the controversial meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer.

The president’s eldest son told members of congress he did not think there was anything wrong with meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who he had been told had “damaging material” about Hillary Clinton.

“I didn’t think that listening to someone with information relevant to the fitness and character of a presidential candidate would be an issue, no,” he said.

Reuters reported that, according to 2,500 pages of testimony released by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr Trump Jr frequently deflected questions during the interview last year, saying he also could not recall whether he spoke with his father on the day the June 2016 meeting took place.

The meeting, in the building that is both a business and residential base for Donald Trump in New York, is currently being scrutinised by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is probing Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

When details of the meeting first emerged last summer, many legal observers suggested the incident amounted to collusion, given that Mr Trump Jr admitted he agreed to the meeting because he was told Ms Veselnitskaya possessed material that could help his father. His father also said he himself would have agreed to the meeting, and claimed any candidate would have.

In addition to Mr Trump Jr, the meeting was attended by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, and Paul Manafort, his then campaign manager. In addition to Ms Veselnitskaya, also present were Rinat Akhmetshin, a prominent Russian-American lobbyist, Ike Kaveladze, a business associate of a Moscow-based developer known to the Trump family, and a translator, Anatoli Samochornov.

The British man who organised the meeting and who was also present, Rob Goldstone, told senators he had been told Ms Veselnitskaya was “well connected” and had promised “damaging material”.

Mr Goldstone, a tabloid journalist turned music promoter, said he pushed for the meeting between the Trump campaign members and Ms Veselnitskaya, at the behest of his client, Russian pop star and developer Emin Agalarov, who had previously met with Donald Trump.

Mr Goldstone said Mr Agalarov pressed for him to do so, even though he advised him it might be a bad idea. Mr Kaveladze was a US-based employee of Mr Agalarov and his father.

“He said, ‘It doesn’t matter. You just have to get the meeting,’” Mr Goldstone told senators.

The committee did not interview Ms Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer at the centre of the meeting. But the panel released her written responses to a letter that Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, sent her last year. It also was unable to interview Mr Kushner or Mr Manafort.

Following the release of the documents, Mr Trump Jr said the transcripts show he “answered every question asked”.

“I appreciate the opportunity to have assisted the Judiciary Committee in its inquiry,” he said a statement.

“The public can now see that for over five hours I answered every question asked and was candid and forthright with the committee. I once again thank Chairman Grassley and ranking member Feinstein, as well as other members of the committee and their staff for their courtesy and professionalism.”

Mr Mueller has already brought several unrelated charges against Mr Manafort, including money-laundering conspiracy, false statements and acting as an unregistered foreign agent related to Ukrainian political work. Mr Manafort has pleaded not guilty.

In addition to the meeting itself, Mr Mueller’s probe is also examining the way the White House responded once details were revealed by the New York Times.

The White House has said the president was involved in drafting an initial statement. The statement said the meeting primarily concerned a Russian adoption programme, though Mr Trump Jr later released the emails showing he agreed to the sit-down after he was promised information on Ms Clinton. The emails also show he accepted the meeting despite it being described as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father’s campaign.

Asked in the interview if his father was involved in drafting the statement, Mr Trump Jr said: “I don’t know. I never spoke to my father about it.”