Grassley may subpoena Trump Jr. to testify to Senate panel

CEDAR RAPIDS - A day after threatening to subpoena President Donald Trump's one-time campaign manager, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said he might subpoena the president's son.

Grassley told CNN this morning that the committee has had discussions with an attorney for Donald Trump Jr., who revealed this week he met with Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya, who suggested she had damaging information on his father's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.

The committee is writing to Trump Jr. 'to request his presence” as early as next week to further explain the meeting. Grassley said there has been no response to that letter and he was unable to comment on the outcome of the discussion with the lawyer for Trump Jr.

As part of its oversight of the Department of Justice, Grassley said the committee has an interest in learning more about whether the meeting violated the Foreign Agent Registration Act, which requires people representing foreign countries in a political capacity to disclose that relationship and information about related activities and finances.

Grassley has questions about whether Veselnitskaya should have been registered and whether the foreign agent act is being properly enforced.

Since Trump took office, Grassley said, his family members have 'seemed always to be very, very open” about their conversations.

'I just think he would welcome the opportunity to say whatever he wants to say,” Grassley said about the younger Trump.

Pressed on whether the committee would subpoena Trump Jr., Grassley said, 'Let's wait and see what he does from our letter.”

The invitation to Trump Jr. comes a day after Grassley said the committee wants to hear from Paul Manafort, who ran Trump's presidential campaign for a time. In light of the revelation of the meeting between Trump Jr., and the Russian attorney, which Manafort reportedly participated in by phone, Grassley said the questioning could go beyond possible collusion with Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 election.

'If he comes before our committee - and we'll subpoena him if necessary - then it would be appropriate for anybody to get into anything that went on at that meeting,” Grassley said.

Grassley and ranking Democrat Sen. Diane Feinstein of California are working with Special Counsel Robert Mueller to ensure Manafort's appearance does not conflict with any criminal investigation being overseen by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

l Comments (319) 398-8375; James.Lynch@TheGazette.com