One thing lost in the flurry of Mueller court filings last week is the fact that there is now more concrete evidence that Donald Trump, Jr. lied under oath in his testimony before two congressional committees.
House committees, at least, will turn over the transcripts of Don Jr’s testimony to Robert Mueller after Democrats take control in January. And when the special counsel compares the transcripts to the truth, it is very likely that Donald Trump’s oldest son might be indicted for perjury.
At least that is what at least two Democratic members of Congress are saying.
Rep. Jackie Speier of California has stated that not only did Don Jr. lie to Congress, but that Republican members helped him to cover up his lies. Speier is a member of the House Intelligence Committee which will be chaired by Rep. Adam Schiff next year. And Schiff has made it clear that he intends to fully investigate Trump’s foreign entanglements which has not been done during Trump’s first two years in office.
Speier revealed in an interview that she believes there were “at least two occasions when Don Jr. lied to the committee” when he offered testimony about Russian election interference.
Speier also explained that her Republican colleagues did not allow the committee to subpoena documents that would have disproved Don Jr.’s testimony. She described Republicans on her committee as “puppets of the President” who “ignored their constitutional duties” in order to protect Donald Trump’s son.
Don Jr. also appears to have lied when he testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in May. In his sworn testimony he denied that foreign governments either offered or provided direct assistance to the Trump campaign. But this was false, Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) said, and he demanded that Trump Jr. return to the Senate and provide further details on his statements.
After Trump Jr. spoke to the Senate, the New York Times reported that George Nader, an official emissary working on behalf of princes from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, met with Trump Jr. at Trump Tower before the 2016 election.
At that meeting, Trump Jr. was reportedly told that the princes wanted to help Trump win the election.
In a letter written to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Coons noted that Trump Jr. did not deny the meeting occurred even though it showed his testimony was untruthful.
“I am deeply concerned that, based on new information we learned this week, Donald Trump Jr. provided false testimony,” Coons said.
Republicans have made clear that they will keep ignoring their oversight duties as long as they remain in power. Despite several serious allegations that Don Jr. lied under oath to Congress, Republicans in the Senate have said they will not investigate the matter.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley said Monday that he did not see a need to re-interview Don Jr. because “there is nothing inconsistent” about his prior statement to the committee in which he claimed that he was only “peripherally” aware of the Trump Tower Moscow negotiations.
Republicans are still protecting Donald Trump and his family regardless of the evidence showing they have committed crimes. That is why voters have given control of the House to Democrats, who will change course starting in January. When the Democrats take control, there will finally be meaningful and real oversight of the corruption, Donald Trump, his family, his business, and his entire administration.
And when they share with Bob Mueller the lies Don Jr. told under oath to Congress, it is very likely that an indictment for perjury will soon follow.
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