Trump Changes Story Again About Trump Tower Meeting

Bridgewater, New Bailiwick of jersey: United states of america President Donald Trump has best-selling for the first time that a 2016 Trump Tower meeting betwixt a Kremlin-connected lawyer and his son was to collect information near his political opponent.

The admission – made via Twitter on Sunday, local fourth dimension– casts new light on a moment key to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

Trump, among a serial of searing tweets sent from his New Jersey golf club, tore into ii of his favourite targets, the news media and Mueller'southward ongoing investigation into possible links between Trump's presidential campaign and Russia.

But xiii months agone, Trump gave a far different caption for the meeting.

A July 2017 statement – dictated by the President and released on behalf of Donald Trump jnr – read: "Nosotros primarily discussed a program most the adoption of Russian children that was active and popular with American families years agone."

Since then, the story well-nigh the coming together has changed several times, eventually forced by the discovery of emails between the President's eldest son and an intermediary from the Russian government offering dissentious information near Trump's opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Betraying no surprise or misgivings nearly the offer from a hostile foreign power, Trump jnr replied: "If it's what you lot say I dearest information technology especially later in the summer (sic)."

Sunday's tweet was Trump's clearest argument yet in relation to the real purpose of the meeting, which has become a focal point of Mueller'south investigation even as the President and his lawyers try to downplay its significance and pummel the investigation probe with attacks.

US President Donald Trump during a rally in Ohio on Saturday. Credit:AP

On Sunday, Trump again suggested – without bear witness – that Mueller was biased against him, declaring the probe "the most one sided witch hunt in the history of our state."

Every bit Trump and his allies have tried to discredit the probe, a new talking point has emerged: that even if that meeting was held to collect damaging information, none was provided and "collusion" – Trump'southward get-to clarification of what Mueller is investigating – never occurred.

"The question is what law, statute or rule or regulation has been violated, and nobody has pointed to one," said Jay Sekulow, i of Trump'south attorneys, on ABC's This Week.

Divisive: Trump supporters clash with anti-Trump protesters outside a rally in Ohio on Sat. Credit:Bloomberg

But legal experts have pointed out several possible criminal charges, including conspiracy against the United states and aiding and abetting a conspiracy. And despite Trump'due south public Twitter deprival, the President has expressed worry that his son may face legal exposure fifty-fifty as he believes he did nothing incorrect, according to 3 people shut to the White House but not authorised to speak about private conversations.

Sekulow acknowledged that the public explanation for the meeting has changed, but insisted that the White House had been very clear with Mueller's office. He said he was not aware of Trump jnr facing whatever legal exposure.

"I don't represent Don jnr," Sekulow said, "but I volition tell yous I have no knowledge at all of Don jnr being told that he's a target of any investigation, and I have no knowledge of him being interviewed by the special counsel."

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Trump's days of private anger spilled out into public with the Twitter outburst, which comes at a perilous fourth dimension for the President.

A decision about whether he sits for an interview with Mueller may come up in the coming weeks, according to another of his attorneys, Rudy Giuliani.

Trump has seethed confronting what he feels are trumped-upwards charges against his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, whose trial began last week and provided a visible reminder of Mueller's piece of work.

And he raged against the media'southward obsession with his links to Russia and the status of Michael Cohen, his erstwhile fixer, who is under federal investigation in New York. Cohen has indicated that he would tell prosecutors that Trump knew about the Trump Tower meeting ahead of time.

Despite a show of force from his national security squad this calendar week as a alarm against hereafter Russian election meddling, Trump over again deemed the matter a "hoax" this week. At a trio of rallies, he escalated his already vitriolic rhetoric toward the media, savaging the printing for what he claims is unflattering coverage.

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His most volatile tweets over the last calendar week have come from his Bedminster golf course, where his every turn is less checked by staffers than at the White House. Information technology was at the New Bailiwick of jersey golf social club where a brooding Trump unleashed other inflammatory attacks and where, in spring 2017, he made the final decision to burn down FBI Manager James Comey, the move that triggered the Russia probe.

Trump was joined for his Sat rally in Ohio by one-time White Firm communications manager Hope Hicks, who departed the administration earlier this year. Her unannounced presence raised some eyebrows equally Hicks has been interviewed by Mueller and was part of the team of staffers that helped typhoon the original statement on board Air Force One about the Trump Tower coming together.

Multiple White House officials have been interviewed while still working at the White House and have remained in contact with the president.

AAP

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Source: https://www.smh.com.au/world/north-america/trump-tower-meeting-takes-new-twist-as-president-changes-story-again-20180806-p4zvol.html

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