U.S. Department of Justice
Attorney Work Product // May Contain Material Protected Under Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e)
questioned whether Democratic operatives had arranged the June 9 mecting to create the appearance of improper connections between Russia and Trump family members.[1] Hicks was upset about Corallo's public statement and called him that evening to say the President had not approved the statement.[2]
The next day, July 9, 2017, Hicks and the President called Corallo together and the President criticized Corallo for the statement he had released.[3] Corallo told the President the statement had been authorized and further observed that Trump Jr.'s statement was inaccurate and that a document existed that would contradict it.[4] Corallo said that he purposely used the term "document" to refer to the emails setting up the June 9 meeting because he did not know what the President knew about the emails.[5] Corallo recalled that when he referred to the "document" on the call with the President, Hicks responded that only a few people had access to it and said "it will never get out."[6] Corallo took contemporaneous notes of the call that say: "Also mention existence of doc. Hope says 'only a few people have it. It will never get out.'"[7] Hicks later told investigators that she had no memory of making that comment and had always believed the emails would eventually be leaked, but she might have been channeling the President on the phone call because it was clear to her throughout her conversations with the President that he did not think the emails would leak.[8]
On July 11, 2017, Trump Jr. posted redacted images of the emails setting up the June 9 meeting on Twitter; the New York Times reported that he did so "[a]fter being told that The Times was about to publish the content of the emails."[9] Later that day, the media reported that the President had been personally involved in preparing Trump Jr.'s initial statement to the New York Times that had claimed the meeting "primarily" concerned "a program about the adoption of Russian children."[10] Over the next several days, the President's personal counsel repeatedly and
- ↑ See Donald Trump Jr. gathered members of campaign for meeting with Russian lawyer before election, Circa News (July 8, 2017).
- ↑ Hicks 3/13/18 302, at 8; Corallo 2/15/18 302, at 6–7.
- ↑ Corallo 2/15/18 302, at 7.
- ↑ Corallo 2/15/18 302, at 7.
- ↑ Corallo 2/15/18 302, at 7–9.
- ↑ Corallo 2/15/18 302, at 8.
- ↑ Corallo 2/15/18 302, at 8; Corallo 7/9/17 Notes ("Sunday 9th—Hope calls w/ POTUS on line"). Corallo said he is "100% confident" that Hicks said "It will never get out" on the call. Corallo 2/15/18 302, at 9.
- ↑ Hicks 3/13/18 302, at 9.
- ↑ @DonaldJTrumpJR 7/11/17 (11:01 a.m. ET) Tweet; Jo Becker et al., Russian Dirt on Clinton? 'I Love It,' Donald Trump Jr. Said, New York Times (July 11, 2017).
- ↑ See, e.g., Peter Baker & Maggie Haberman, Rancor at White House as Russia Story Refuses to Let the Page Turn, New York Times (July 11, 2017) (reporting that the President "signed off" on Trump Jr.'s statement).
104
