Senate Panel Subpoenas Trump Jr.

This fight is 'unprecedented,' per Axios
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 8, 2019 4:41 PM CDT
Senate Intelligence Committee Subpoenas Trump Jr.
Donald Trump Jr. speaks ahead of his father President Donald Trump at a Make America Great Again rally Saturday, April 27, 2019, in Green Bay, Wis.   (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

The Senate intelligence committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr., calling him in to answer questions about his 2017 testimony, the AP reports. That's according to a person familiar with the subpoena who discussed it on condition of anonymity. The committee has renewed interest in talking to President Trump's eldest son after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified earlier this year. Cohen told a House committee in February that he had briefed Trump Jr. approximately 10 times about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017 he was only "peripherally aware" of the proposal.

A source tells CNN Trump Jr. is considering whether to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights or simply not appear at all. This is "the first congressional subpoena—that we know about—of one of President Trump's children," per Axios. "The subpoena sets up a fight that's unprecedented in the Trump era: A Republican committee chair pit against the Republican president's eldest son." The Senate intelligence committee has been investigating Russian election interference and Trump's ties to Russia for the last two years. The subpoena is a sign that the panel is still conducting its investigation even after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report. Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump Jr., did not immediately respond to multiple messages seeking comment. (Also Wednesday, a House panel voted to hold the attorney general in contempt.)

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