US president says did not know of 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians

Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen says Trump knew in advance about the June 2016 meeting

WASHINGTON DC: US President Donald Trump said on Friday he did not know about the 2016 meeting at Trump Tower between Russians and his campaign staff including his son Don Jr, at which the Russians offered to provide damaging information about Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

.....I did NOT know of the meeting with my son, Don jr. Sounds to me like someone is trying to make up stories in order to get himself out of an unrelated jam (Taxi cabs maybe?). He even retained Bill and Crooked Hillary’s lawyer. Gee, I wonder if they helped him make the choice!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 27, 2018

Trump said in a Twitter post after a CNN report that his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen said Trump knew of the meeting in advance.

US President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said that Trump knew in advance about a June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower at which Russians offered to provide damaging information about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, CNN reported on Thursday.



CNN, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter, said Cohen is willing to make that assertion to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia during the US 2016 presidential campaign.

“He cannot be believed,” Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for Trump, said on Thursday, referring to Cohen. “If they rely on him ... it would destroy whatever case they have.” Giuliani was referring to Mueller’s investigation.