Trump ‘not aware’ of other meetings between his campaign staff and Russians

President Trump is not aware of any other meetings that took place between his campaign staff and Russians, according to a member of his legal team on Sunday.

During an interview on CBS’s “Face The Nation,” Jay Sekulow was asked whether he could say the president “knows of no other meetings with his campaign staff and Russians.”

“Obviously the president has been very clear on that,” Sekulow said.

“He said he has had no meetings, was aware of no meetings with Russians, was not aware of this one until really right before it all broke,” he said.

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Sekulow appeared on all five Sunday morning talk shows to defend the president after the revelation that several members of his campaign staff last year took a secret meeting with several Russians with possible government ties. 

On CNN’s “State of the Union,” Sekulow seemed to allow for the possibility other meetings took place. 

“None that I know of,” he said when asked whether other private discussions have yet to be disclosed. “But Donald Trump Jr. said not in the context of formal meetings. He said he may have met with Russian people. A lot of people meet with Russian people, so that’s not unusual.”

Sekulow added on CBS that there has been “no information to the contrary” that the president knew of the meeting.

Sekulow repeatedly emphasized Trump did not take part in the meeting held last year that involved his son Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer, among others.

“The president was not aware about this meeting, did not participate in this meeting,” Sekulow said.

“As far as other meetings go, look, the president has said that he was not aware of it, wasn’t involved in it. And there’s been no indication otherwise,” Sekulow said.

The meeting, which Trump Jr. acknowledged last week, included at least eight people. The identity of at least one Russian attendee has yet to be disclosed. Trump son-in-law and now-adviser Jared Kushner as well as then-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended.

Several Trump associates are under investigation for possible collusion with Russia during the election. The FBI and Congress are probing the extent to which Russia attempted to influence the 2016 vote.