What’s The Political Fallout From Donald Trump Jr.’s Emails?
“Both parties have dealt with these ongoing investigations that drag on,” says Shepardson.
On Tuesday, the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., tweeted out a series of emails ahead of a New York Times story that would show he had agreed to meet with a Russian government official to receive damning information about Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign. Whether or not that meeting went according to plan and how well the Russian lawyer was connected to her government is unclear, but this is the first hard evidence regarding collusion between senior Trump campaign officials and the Russian government.
What are the legal implications of the email exchange? What’s the political fallout in Washington from this revelation? What did President Donald Trump know, and when did he know it?
David Shepardson, reporter with Reuters in D.C. who covered congressional politics for The Detroit News for many years, joins Stephen Henderson on Detroit Today to discuss implications from the Russia investigations, and the mood in Congress as summer recess approaches.
Shepardson says there seems to be big revelations everyday about the Russia investigation, with both Democrats and Republicans being critical.
“I think the big wild card is how much does this issue prevent, or does it prevent, Republicans in Senate from reaching a healthcare deal,” Shepardson says, ”or does the deal rise and fall separate from all the action and angst over Russia.”
In regards to Donald Trump Jr. and his attempts to meet with a Russian government official, Shepardson says the action of taking the meeting, where there was potential of receiving something of value to use during the campaign, could be problematic and could possibly lead to a criminal investigation.
Click on the audio player above to hear the full conversation.
