WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Anderson Cooper last night to discuss the Russia investigation and the upcoming public hearing with Donald Trump Jr.

“The thing I most want to ask [Donald Trump Jr.] in an open hearing: ‘How is it possible that you received news from someone you know by e-mail that the Putin regime is attempting to help your father win the American presidency and your response is, ‘Great, let's have the meeting,’ rather than, ‘What the heck are you talking about?’ or ‘I need to refer this to law enforcement,’ or at the very least, ‘I need to warn my father there's something completely inappropriate going on here,’” said Senator Coons.

Full audio and video available here.

Excerpts from the interview below:

Senator Coons on the upcoming public hearing with Donald Trump Jr.: Well, Anderson, what I'm really looking forward to is an upcoming public hearing where I'll get the opportunity to question Donald Trump Jr. under oath, in front of the full Judiciary Committee. This week, what's happening is a staff interview where I believe Donald Trump Jr. has voluntarily come in and is open to being asked virtually any question by staff that is relevant to the ongoing investigation.

Senator Coons on whether the staff interview is on the record: Yes. It will produce a transcript that will be accessible to members of the Committee and to others who are investigating the potential concerns about the conduct of the Trump campaign. Anyone who testifies in front of a Senate committee is under the restrictions of a statute that says if they attempt to mislead Congress, there are legal consequences.

Senator Coons on what he would like to ask Donald Trump Jr.: That is exactly the thing I most want to ask him in an open hearing is: ‘How is it possible that you received news, from someone you know, by e-mail, that the Putin regime is attempting to help your father win the American presidency and your response is, ‘Great, let's have the meeting,’ rather than, ‘What the heck are you talking about?’ or ‘I need to refer this to law enforcement,’ or at the very least, ‘I need to warn my father there's something completely inappropriate going on here.’

Senator Coons on potential obstruction of justice by President Trump: Anderson, part of what the Judiciary focus is obstruction of justice, which is distinct from what the Special Counsel or even the Intelligence Committee are focusing on. They're focusing on broader areas. It would go directly to that question. Whether the President himself was involved in trying to cover the tracks of those who were involved in efforts on behalf of his campaign. Obstruction of justice is a fancy way of saying that he tried to get in the way of any ongoing investigation. He tried to cover their tracks. So that's what we'd be getting at in questioning what role he had in crafting and helping issue a misleading initial statement about the participants and the purpose of that meeting in Trump Tower in the summer of 2016.

Senator Coons on the Intelligence Committee’s timeline: Given that it's September and given how many other things we've got on our plate as the Senate, I would agree- I think it's unlikely we'll conclude this before the end of this calendar year.

Senator Coons on Congress’ coordination with the Mueller investigation: I think it is absolutely critical that we coordinate closely with Robert Mueller and the Special Counsel so that we do not inappropriately interfere in his investigation or inadvertently prevent it from reaching a legal conclusion. I think there was a dustup a few days ago or maybe weeks ago now that was largely rooted in a misunderstanding about the release of transcripts of the work product of Senate Committees and I'm hopeful that that's getting resolved.

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