US President Donald Trump’s son Donald Jr. has agreed to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee investigating Russian election meddling, US media reported Tuesday.
The agreement resolved a looming fight between the Congress and the White House after Donald Jr. was subpoenaed by the Republican-led committee last week.
According to reports, he had initially agreed to testify behind closed doors and then backed out for unclear reasons.
But President Trump is battling any cooperation with Congress in the Russia meddling investigation, claiming that he has already been “totally exonerated” of collusion and obstruction of justice by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report completed in late March.
The Senate panel has interviewed Donald Jr. once before, and is believed to be seeking clarification on his knowledge of contacts between the 2016 Trump presidential campaign and Russians.
Some Democrats suspect he may have lied about what he and his father knew of a June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer offering dirt on Hillary Clinton, as well as other connections between the two sides.
Seeking to complete their own report on Russian election interference, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr risked the wrath of the White House and his Republican party by issuing a subpoena for Donald Jr.
Finally, according to multiple reports, Donald Jr. agreed to testify in early or mid-June, behind closed doors and with limits on time and the questions he will answer.