Senator Dianne Feinstein zeroes in on Donald Trump Jr

| 5:05 pm EDT July 29, 2018
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The fallout is already underway from this week’s revelation that Michael Cohen is willing to testify that Donald Trump signed off the Trump Tower meeting with Russia during the election. In the big picture, it means Trump committed treason. In the more immediate term, it also means Donald Trump Jr apparently committed perjury. Sure enough, Senator Dianne Feinstein is on the case.

Here’s what Senator Feinstein tweeted about the matter: “If reports are true that President Trump knew in advance of the 2016 Trump Tower meeting, it would suggest that Donald Trump Jr. may have misled Judiciary Committee staff when he was interviewed. It further demonstrates why he must come before the committee to answer questions.” Considering the powerful position that she holds on the Senate Judiciary Committee, this may not be an empty threat.

Dianne Feinstein is the ranking member of the committee. At various points in the Trump-Russia investigation, Republican Chairman Chuck Grassley has signed off on Feinstein’s efforts to get to the bottom of the scandal, even though he holds majority power on the committee and she doesn’t. Grassley seems to be torn between wishing the investigation would go away, and not going down for outright obstructing it. Based on this latest revelation about Trump Tower, and how clear it’s become that Junior lied to the committee’s staff, Feinstein may have enough leverage to push Grassley into letting her subpoena Donald Trump Jr to testify.

Even if Donald Trump Jr isn’t hauled in to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the legal damage to him is already done. Michael Cohen can confirm that Junior committed perjury when he testified to the committee’s staffers. If Cohen’s story can be substantiated, that alone will be enough to send Junior to prison for perjury, even before getting to the various crimes he committed by seeking dirt on Hillary Clinton from the Russians.