Three people working on the Trump campaign last summer met with a Russian lawyer to get dirt on democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. That information comes from emails released by the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., who met with the Russian lawyer along with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and former Trump campaign staffer Paul Manafort. We’ll hear from Jeremy Duda, author of a book on treason and a reporter from the Arizona Capitol Times.
TED SIMONS: LET'S TALK ABOUT
TREASON.
THE BOOK YOU WROTE ABOUT WAS
SPECIFICALLY ABOUT TREASON.
I AM HEARING PEOPLE THROWING
AROUND TREASON.
IS THIS TREASON?
JEREMY DUDA: MOST DEFINITELY NOT.
THIS IS THE ONLY CRIME THAT IS
DEFINED IN THE CONSTITUTION AND
IT IS DEFINED NARROWLY AND THAT
WAS INTENTIONALLY.
LEVYING WAR AGAINST THE UNITED
STATES OR PROVIDING AID OR
COMFORTABLE TO AN ENEMY.
RUSSIA IS NOT THE MOST
FRIENDILEST COUNTRIES TO THE
UNITED STATES BUT WE ARE NOT AT
ALL WITH THEM.
NOTHING DONALD TRUMP, JR. HAS
ADMITTED TO DO OR IS ACCUSED
COULD BE CONSIDERED LEVYING WAR
AGAINST THE UNITED STATES OR
CONSPIRING WITH SOMEONE WHO IS.
IT HAS BECOME A POPLAR BUZZ
WORD.
FORMER BUSH WHITE HOUSE ETHIC
LAWYER AND MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
AND VARIOUS OTHERS ARE THROWING
IT AROUND BUT THERE IS NO WAY
THIS COMES ANYWHERE CLOSE TO
THAT CONSTITUTIONAL DEFINITION
IN ARTICLE 3.
TED SIMONS: DONALD TRUMP JUNIOR, ALONG
WITH TWO OTHERS, JARRED CUSHNER
AND PAUL MANAFORD TOOK THE
MEETING AFTER BEING TOLD NOT TO.
JEREMY DUDA: EVEN IF THERE IS NOTHING
POLITICALLY, IF YOU HAVE ANY
THOUGHTS THIS MIGHT BECOME
PUBLIC, WHICH THEY DIDN'T APPEAR
TO THINK, YOU DON'T WANT TO DO
THIS.
YOU WANT TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHO
YOU ARE TAKING INFORMATION AB
ABOUT.
FOR MOST CAMPAIGNS, RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENTS SHOULD HAVE BEEN A
RED FLAG TO STAY AWAY.
TED SIMONS: AND YOU CAN HAVE THE
RUSSIAN OFFICIALS TRYING TO
PLANT STUFF THAT COULD BE FALSE
LOOKING FOR, I DON'T KNOW FOR
LACK OF A BETTER WORD, A STOOGE
TO TAKE THE INFORMATION AND RUN
WITH IT.
YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU
ARE ACCEPTING.
JEREMY DUDA: SURE.
WALKING IN THERE YOU HAVE NO
IDEA.
AND TRUMP, JR. INSISTS THERE WAS
NO INFORMATION AND THEY ENDED UP
DISCUSSING OTHER THINGS BUT YOU
WANT TO BE CAREFUL NOT JUST
ABOUT THE MEETING BUT ANYTHING
YOU WALK AWAY IT.
TED SIMONS: THE COLLUSION IS
POLITICAL AND A CONSPIRACY TO
WORK WITH A FOREIGN ADVISORY IN
AN ELECTION.
THE JURY IS STILL OUT ON THAT.
BUT THE FACT DONALD TRUMP, JR.
TWEETED THESE E-MAILS BEFORE THE
NEW YORK CITY TIMES STORY,
MOMENTS BEFORE "THE NEW YORK
TIMES" STORY CAME OUT, SUGGESTED
THEY WANT TO GET IN FRONT OF THE
STORY AND ALSO MAYBE THEY THINK
THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING ILLEGAL
JEREMY DUDA: I WOULD LOVE TO BE A FLY ON
THE WALL IN DONALD TRUMP, JR.'S
LAWYERS OFFICE.
WHETHER THEY DID ANYTHING
ILLEGAL I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS
THE BEST IDEA.
PEOPLE SAY GET EVERYTHING OUT AT
ONCE.
THE COVER UP IS WORSE THAN THE
CRIME.
YOU WANT TO BE TRANSPARENT AND
DON'T WANT TO WAIT UNTIL "THE
NEW YORK TIMES" IS ABOUT TO POST
THIS ON THEIR WEBSITE.
ANY INCLINATION OF A CRIME BEING
COMMITTED I CANNOT IMAGINE THEY
WOULD PUT THIS OUT IN THE
PUBLIC.
TED SIMONS: THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE.
Jeremy Duda: Author of "If This Be Treason" and reporter at the Arizona Capitol Times
