Did Trump know his son met Russians to get dirt? President’s ex-lawyer is reportedly willing to tell Mueller probe he did
Such testimony by Michael Cohen, a long-time fixer for Trump, would contradict the testimony and public denials of the president, his son, and other campaign officials
Donald Trump’s long-time personal lawyer has claimed the US president knew in advance of a June 2016 meeting in which Russians were expected to offer “dirt” on election rival Hillary Clinton, according to US media reports.
The assertion by Michael Cohen, reported by both CNN and NBC News, contradicts Trump’s insistence that he was unaware of the meeting at Trump Tower in New York, the subject of huge controversy once it came to light a year later.
Cohen is prepared to make a statement to Robert Mueller, who is investigating alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 presidential election, the networks said.
Trump’s son Don Jnr, son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign chairman Paul Manafort met at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016 with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, having been told she was offering sensitive information about Clinton from the Russian government.
Trump, his son, his lawyers and other officials have repeatedly claimed the future president did not know about the meeting until details of it were revealed in July last year.