President Trump told reporters Thursday that he was “very surprised” to learn his son, Donald Trump Jr., was subpoenaed by the Senate Intelligence Committee over Russia matters. “I was very surprised to see my son, my son’s a very good person,” Trump said. “The last thing he needs is Washington D.C.—he would rather not ever be involved.” The Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr. on Wednesday, and is particularly interested in his account of the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer who had allegedly promised dirt on Hillary Clinton. Trump also claimed Thursday that his son has been exonerated by Robert Mueller’s two-year investigation. “Frankly, for my son—after being exonerated to now get a subpoena to go again and speak again after close to 20 hours of telling everybody that would listen about a nothing meeting. Yeah, I’m pretty surprised,” he said.
The president also said that he would let Attorney General Bill Barr decide whether Special Counsel Robert Mueller should testify before Congress, walking back his previous remarks. Barr previously told Congress that he has no issue with Mueller testifying.
