Mueller asked Trump when he was told about the possibility of the meeting taking place, of the scheduling of the meeting, and when he learned that some of the individuals attending the meeting were Russian or had affiliations with the Russian government.
He was also asked what he was told about what was discussed at the meeting.
“I have no recollection of learning at the time that Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, or Jared Kushner was considering participating in a meeting in June 2016 concerning potentially negative information about Hillary Clinton,” Trump wrote. “Nor do I recall learning during the campaign that the June 9, 2016, meeting had taken place.”
Trump was then asked, for the period of June 6–June 9, 2016, when he was in Trump Tower and where the meeting took place. He was asked if spoke with his son, Paul Manafort, or Jared Kushner on June 9, and if he did, to describe the substance of the conversations.
Trump said that he doesn’t recollect what portion of the four days he was in Trump Tower. “This was one of many busy months during a fast-paced campaign,” he wrote. His campaign’s calendar indicates that he was in New York City for the days and had various calls and meetings scheduled in calendars kept in the tower, indicating that he was inside the building “during a portion of each of these working days.” He stayed at his apartment in the tower while he was in the city.
Trump noted that media reports, including television footage, show portions of what he did during those days, including giving victory remarks on June 7, 2016, at the Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, New York.
Trump responded that he was being sarcastic.
“I made the statement ... in jest and sarcastically, as was apparent to any objective observer,” he said. “The context of the statement is evidence in the full reading or viewing of the press conference, and I refer you to the publicly available transcript and video of that press conference.”
Trump said that he does not recall being told during the campaign of any efforts by Russia to hack Clinton or her campaign prior to the alleged hack being reported in the media.
He also said that he does not recall having any discussion during the campaign regarding a pardon or action to benefit Julian Assange, the founder and head of Wikileaks.
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