Lara Trump speaks during a campaign rally hosted by President Donald Trump at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on October 22, 2018. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Senate Subpoena of Donald Trump Jr. ‘Harassment of Our Family,’ Lara Trump Says

Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, labeled the Senate Intelligence Committee’s issue of a subpoena for the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.., as “harassment of our family.”

The president’s daughter-in-law, who is also a 2020 campaign adviser, told Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that “this is over,” in reference to the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report.

“We know [collusion] did not happen,” she said on May 9. “Whatever they think they’re going to do is not going to change that. It’s not going to make Hillary Clinton the president of the United States, like I know they all wanted so badly for so long.”

The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election. In February, the committee revealed there was no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Lara Trump said she was “shocked and appalled” that committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) issued the subpoena. Burr is now facing pressure from Republicans to cancel his subpoena against the president’s son. She noted that Trump Jr. had already testified for hours last year before the same panel.

“This is harassment of our family, harassment of the president,” she said.

President Trump, in reaction to the subpoena during a press conference on May 9—the day after it was issued—said he “very surprised.” He noted that Burr had changed his tone.

“I saw Burr saying there was no collusion two or three weeks ago,” he said. “I was very surprised to see my son—my son is a good person, he works hard. The last thing he needs is Washington, D.C. He’d rather not be involved.”

The president said his son is a “good person” and brought up the “hours and hours” of testimony that he previously provided.

“My son was totally exonerated by Mueller, who doesn’t like Trump—me. And for my son, after being exonerated to now get a subpoena to speak again after telling everyone about a nothing meeting, I’m pretty surprised.”

Asked if he would block his son from complying with the subpoena, Trump added, “We’ll see what happens.”

Republicans Respond

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said it’s time for lawmakers to move past the Russia investigations.

“[Donald Trump Jr.] has already spent dozens of hours testifying in front of congressional committees. Endless investigations—by either party—won’t change the fact that there was NO collusion. It’s time to move on. It’s time to focus on ISSUES, not investigations,” he wrote on Twitter.

A source close to the president’s son said he testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee for at least eight hours and in front of congressional committees for a total of 27 hours. When Trump Jr. testified before the panel in 2017, it was agreed that he would only have to appear once, as long as he stayed as long as necessary, which he did, the person said.

“Don continues to cooperate by producing documents and is willing to answer written questions, but no lawyer would ever agree to have their client participate in what is an obvious PR stunt from a so-called ‘Republican’ senator to cowardly to stand up to his boss Mark Warner and the rest of the resistance Democrats on the committee,” the source told Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs.

In March, Mueller finished his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and concluded that there wasn’t evidence to establish that any American knowingly colluded with Russia. Two separate investigations, one by the House Intelligence Committee and another jointly by the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, also concluded there was no evidence of collusion.

News of the subpoena surfaced a day after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said that the “case is closed” about the Mueller probe.

“Apparently, the Republican chair of the Senate Intel Committee didn’t get the memo from the Majority Leader that this case was closed,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wrote on Twitter.

Ivan Pentchoukov contributed to this report.