Donald Trump, Jr
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1 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE EXECUTIVE SESSION PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WASHINGTON, D.C. INTERVIEW OF: DONALD TRUMP, JR. Wednesday, December 6, 2017 Washington, D.C. The interview in the above matter was held in Room HVC-304, the Capitol, commencing at 9:59 a.m. Present: Representatives Conaway, King, LoBiondo, Rooney, UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 2 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE Ros-Lehtinen, Wenstrup, Stewart, Gowdy, Stefanik, Schiff, Himes, Sewell, Speier, Quigley, Swalwell, Castro, and Heck. Also Present: Representative Granger. UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 3 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE Appearances: For the PERMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE: For DONALD TRUMP, JR.: ALAN S. FUTERFAS, ESQ. 565 FIFTH AVENUE, 7TH FLOOR NEW YORK, NY 10017 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 4 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE ALAN G. GARTEN EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION 725 FIFTH AVENUE NEW YORK, NY 10022 KARINA V. LYNCH, ESQ. WILLIAMS & JENSEN, PLLC 701 8TH STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON, DC 20001 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 5 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE Good morning. This is an unclassified transcribed interview of Donald Trump, Jr. Thank you for being here today. For the record, I am a staff member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Others present today will introduce themselves when they speak. Before we begin, I have a security reminder. Please make sure that you've left all of your electronics outside. I also want to state a few things for the record. The questioning will be conducted by members, and potentially by staff, during their allotted time period. Some questions may seem basic, but that is because we need to clearly establish facts and understand the situation. Please do not assume we know any facts that you have previously disclosed as part of any other investigation or review. We ask that you give complete and fulsome replies to questions based on your best recollection. If a question is unclear or you're uncertain in your response, please let us know. And if you do not know the answer to a question or cannot remember, simply say so. During the course of this interview, we will take any breaks that you desire. The interview will be transcribed. There's a reporter making a record of these proceedings so we can easily consult a written compilation of your answers. Because the reporter cannot record gestures, we ask that you answer verbally. If you forget to do this, you may be reminded to do so. You may also be asked to spell certain terms or unusual phrases. UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 6 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE Additionally, there's a green button on the microphone. If everyone present could just make sure to press that when speaking so the reporters can hear you clearly. You are entitled to have counsel present for this interview, though you are not required to do so. I see you have counsel present and would ask that your attorneys make an appearance for the record at this time. MR. FUTERFAS: Good morning. Thank you for inviting us to this committee. My name is Alan Futerfas, counsel for Mr. Trump, Jr. MR. GARTEN: Alan Garten, general counsel for the Trump administration. MS. LYNCH: Karina Lynch, Williams & Jensen, counsel for Donald Trump, Jr. Thank you. To ensure confidentiality, we ask that you do not discuss the interview with anyone other than your attorneys. Consistent with the committee's rules of procedures, you and your counsel, if you wish, will have a reasonable opportunity to inspect the transcript of this interview in order to determine whether your answers were correctly transcribed. The transcript will remain in the committee's custody. The committee also reserves the right to request your return for additional questions should the need arise. The process for the interview is as follows. The minority will be given 45 minutes to ask questions, then the majority will be given 45 minutes to ask questions. Immediately thereafter, we can take a brief break if you'd like, after which, the minority will be given 15 minutes to ask questions and the majority will be given 15 minutes to ask questions. We will then proceed in subsequent UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 7 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE 15-minute rounds. These time limits will be strictly adhered to with no extensions being granted. Our record today will reflect that you have not been compelled to appear. You are reminded that it is unlawful to deliberately provide false information to Members of Congress or staff. The record will also reflect you are voluntarily participating in this interview under oath. At this time, please raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? MR. TRUMP: I do. Thank you. Mr. Conaway. MR. CONAWAY: Good morning, Mr. Trump. Thank you for coming this morning. We appreciate you coming in. We'll conduct the interview. Adam, any statements you have? MR. SCHIFF: No. Mr. Trump, welcome to the committee. Appreciate your being here. MR. TRUMP: Thank you. Good to be here. MR. CONAWAY: With that, I'll turn it to the ranking member for his 45 minutes. MR. SCHIFF: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Trump, let me begin by asking you about your relationship with Rob Goldstone. When did you first meet Mr. Goldstone, and what was the nature of your relationship? MR. TRUMP: I believe I first met Mr. Goldstone at an event we held in UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 8 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE Florida, the WGC Cadillac championship. It was a golf tournament. He's a manager of Mr. Emin Agalarov, who was performing there. MR. SCHIFF: And how long ago was that? MR. TRUMP: I believe that was March of 2014. MR. SCHIFF: And since 2014, how often would you have contact with Mr. Goldstone? MR. TRUMP: He would occasionally email me. I think that was probably -- that was the first time I met him. Then I met him in New York on one of the meetings I'm sure we'll discuss later on today. And other than casual email correspondence, I don't know that we've met again. MR. SCHIFF: Well, between the time you met him in 2014 and last year, how many times did you see him in person? MR. TRUMP: Face to face, I believe, twice. MR. SCHIFF: And what were those occasions? MR. TRUMP: The golf tournament and the meeting on whatever -- whatever it was, in June of 2016. MR. SCHIFF: So the golf tournament in 2014, between the golf tournament in 2014 and the meeting at Trump Tower in 2016, you hadn't seen him in person at all? MR. TRUMP: I don't believe so. I may have met casually, but I don't believe I had. MR. SCHIFF: How often would you receive email correspondence from him, say, during 2014 and 2015? MR. TRUMP: It'd be every few months. MR. SCHIFF: And how about telephone conversations? UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 9 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE MR. TRUMP: I don't recall any, but maybe casually once or twice. MR. SCHIFF: So this isn't someone that you heard from frequently? MR. TRUMP: No. MR. SCHIFF: And was your relationship with him strictly business, concerning his representation of Emin Agalarov? MR. TRUMP: Generally speaking, yes. MR. SCHIFF: Did he have a relationship with anyone else in your family? MR. TRUMP: I believe he had met my father perhaps at Miss Universe, but I don't know for sure. MR. SCHIFF: In terms of your conversations with him, did you talk frequently enough for you to have his phone number in your phone? MR. TRUMP: I don't believe I had it in my phone when we were doing our research, but I'm not sure. I may have. MR. SCHIFF: And prior to the email correspondence that initiated the meeting in Trump Tower, do you recall the last time that you heard from Mr. Goldstone? MR. TRUMP: I don't. MR. SCHIFF: You mentioned that he may have had some contact with your father. What can you tell us, if anything, about his relationship with your father? MR. TRUMP: I don't believe there's much of a relationship other than he was a manager of someone that performed at Miss Universe and performed at the WGC Cadillac championship a few months later. So maybe as part of that. But I don't believe there was any other relationship there. MR. SCHIFF: Did he know your father well enough to either call him or UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 10 UNCLASSIFIED, COMMITTEE SENSITIVE write him directly? MR. TRUMP: I don't believe so, no. MR. SCHIFF: Now, on June 3, Mr. Goldstone sent you an email with the subject line, "Russia - Clinton - private and confidential." Were you expecting this email? MR. TRUMP: I was not. MR. SCHIFF: And where were you when you received the email? MR. TRUMP: I believe I was in New York City. MR. SCHIFF: And what were you doing in New York City? MR. TRUMP: I was working on the campaign and our business at the time. MR. SCHIFF: Your email response to Mr. Goldstone, I think around 20 minutes after receiving it, was that you were on the road.