Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, now says it is going to be a while before the public is able to read the transcripts of testimony from Donald Trump Jr. and five other witnesses who attended the June 9, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower.
Grassley told Democrats on his committee, led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, that aides on both sides of the aisle still must meet to review two remaining transcripts — after which time all the witnesses' attorneys would be given two weeks to conduct their own reviews, followed by a period of review for redaction of witnesses' private information.
"Following this timeline, it may be a few weeks until the remaining transcripts can be released," Grassley wrote to the Democrats, "but I am committed to working as quickly as we can, consistent with a careful and deliberate process so information that we would agree should be redacted does not accidentally get released because we acted in haste."
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Notably, Grassley used the opportunity given by the Democrats' request for public hearings to tell Feinstein that among the witnesses who have yet to produce requested documents is Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson ...
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The Iowan also told Democrats that he remains open to public hearings as part of the committee's Russian meddling probe following the release of witnesses' transcripts. Grassley suggested that any discussion about public testimony should include Simpson, whose interview transcript Feinstein unilaterally released last month to the frustration of Republicans.
In the meantime, Donald Trump Jr. continues to lash out against the Russia probe online.
Never shy about defending his father on Twitter, the younger Trump dialed up his outrage starting Jan. 19. That’s the day after Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee drafted a memo alleging misconduct by the FBI and Justice Department in the Russia probe. Since then, he has tweeted or retweeted more than 200 times about the GOP memo, the Democratic response, warrants issued by secret intelligence courts, the FBI and Mueller’s Russia investigation.
His statements channel the sentiments of President Donald Trump’s most fervent supporters -- and possibly the president himself -- who believe the Russia investigation has been engineered by Democrats to undermine his presidency.
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While his father has the power to pardon, the younger Trump isn’t acting as if he thinks he or anyone in his family have done anything wrong to begin with. And his words do not suggest any concerns that the tweets could make him legally vulnerable. There’s also no indication that Mueller has sought to interview him.
Grassley: Trump Jr. interview transcript release likely to take weeks (Politico)
Trump Jr. Escalates Twitter War Against Probe and Father’s Foes (Bloomberg Politics)