The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee vented frustration on Monday with what he described as a “pattern of convenient forgetfulness” by Trump campaign officials over undisclosed meetings with Russians.

President Trump Donald John TrumpUS reimposes UN sanctions on Iran amid increasing tensions Jeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Trump supporters chant 'Fill that seat' at North Carolina rally MORE’s son Donald Trump Jr. has said he will brief Senate investigators on a previously undisclosed campaign meeting he arranged and attended last June with a Russian lawyer who had offered opposition research on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonJeff Flake: Republicans 'should hold the same position' on SCOTUS vacancy as 2016 Momentum growing among Republicans for Supreme Court vote before Election Day Warning signs flash for Lindsey Graham in South Carolina MORE.

Sen. Mark Warner Mark Robert WarnerIntelligence chief says Congress will get some in-person election security briefings Overnight Defense: Trump hosts Israel, UAE, Bahrain for historic signing l Air Force reveals it secretly built and flew new fighter jet l Coronavirus creates delay in Pentagon research for alternative to 'forever chemicals' House approves bill to secure internet-connected federal devices against cyber threats MORE (D-Va.) said his panel intends to interview Trump Jr., as well as Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, both of whom were reportedly present for the meeting that was first reported this weekend by the New York Times.

ADVERTISEMENT

“What continues to bother me is this pattern, and I think we’re up to 20-plus examples, of senior-level officials, and even you could argue the president himself, continues to deny they’ve had any contacts with Russians until the proof comes out that there were contacts, multiple contacts,” Warner told reporters. “And then senior officials recant or amend their filings … a rational person would ask, why didn’t they remember these meetings? I think these meetings were pretty important.”

The White House insists that no information was gleaned from the meeting Trump Jr. arranged and that it is normal for campaigns to seek out potentially damaging information on a rival.

“Don Jr. did not collude with anybody to influence the election,” White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Monday. “Don Jr. took a very short meeting from which there was absolutely no follow-up.”

Warner on Monday said the question of collusion would be left to special counsel Robert Mueller.

“I will say this is the first time the public has seen clear evidence that senior level officials of the Trump campaign met with agents of a foreign government to try and obtain information that would discredit Hillary Clinton,” he said. “I think that’s pretty significant.”

Warner would not say when he first learned about the Trump Jr. meeting.

Hucakabee Sanders argued that the news only leaked after it was volunteered to Congressional investigators.

Previously, Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsTrump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status White House officials voted by show of hands on 2018 family separations: report MORE recused himself from legal matters pertaining to the Russia investigation after it was revealed he did not disclose a meeting he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the campaign.

Democrats have also called for Kushner’s security clearance to be revoked after a report that he sought to establish backchannel communications with Moscow.