15 July, 2017
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, tells NPR that he's sending a letter to Donald Trump Jr., saying that he wants the president's eldest son to testify in an open session of the committee and will subpoena him if necessary.
The chairman noted that the committee is holding hearings next week on the Federal Agent Registration Act, which requires Americans to register to work as lobbyists of foreign governments.
Ms Feinstein's office confirmed that they plan to question him.
The emails were sent ahead of a Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer that Mr Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and his son-in-law Jared Kushner also attended.
Congressional investigators clamoring to interview Trump Jr.
A person close to Manafort said that he hasn't yet received a letter from the committee about a possible interview.
Separately, Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said his panel wants to look at the use of Russian social media "trolls" and whether they were connected to the Trump election campaign.
President Donald Trump continued Thursday to defend his son's meeting with a Russian lawyer, characterizing it as standard campaign practice and maintaining that "nothing happened" as a result of the June sit-down.
Feinstein, the California Democrat, is the Judiciary Committee's vice chair. "We want to understand what data was hacked, where it was stored and if it was weaponized at all, whether it was by Russian Federation or the campaign".
Trump Jr. on Tuesday morning posted a series of emails between himself and Rob Goldstone, a music publicist who contacted Trump Jr. and told him about an opportunity to receive potentially damaging information about Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help his father's campaign. In a series of emails, Trump Jr. was told the lawyer had "high-level and sensitive" information that was "part of Russian Federation and its government's support for Mr. Trump".
"If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer", Mr Trump Jr said in one email response.
Trump told reporters onboard Air Force One en route to France on Wednesday that Putin twice denied any meddling and the president asked what more he could have done.
"I think from a practical standpoint most people would've taken that meeting". The president's son tweeted Monday that he would work with the panel.
Trump also questioned whether Putin was really gunning for his victory, as US intelligence agencies have concluded.
Sekulow said the president was not being investigated by Mueller.
Trump Jr. released emails this week from 2016 in which he appeared eager to accept information from the Russian government that could have damaged Hillary Clinton's campaign.
In an interview this week with Sean Hannity of Fox News, Trump Jr. downplayed the significance of the meeting, calling it a "waste of time".
The White House originally said Trump's comments would be off the record, but reversed itself on Thursday.
He added that while he preferred a phone call, he "decided to take the meeting" because the lawyer was in NY.