MSNBC's Mark Halperin said Donald Trump Jr. "is in a world of hurt" after The New York Times reported on Sunday that in June 2016 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 eldest son had a meeting with a Russian lawyer that has ties to the Kremlin after being promised damaging information about Democratic presidential 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.

"[Trump Jr.] was forced to change his story by seemingly what The New York Times was able to learn," Halperin said on "Morning Joe" on Monday. "Whoever is helping The New York Times with these stories seems to be doing it in a way like maximum damage on at least Donald Trump Jr."

"Even if you accept his Sunday version. Accept his Sunday version, ask no questions, have no suspicions, he is in a world of hurt," Halperin concluded.

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The Times report noted that Trump Jr.'s meeting at Trump Tower with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya "represent[s] the first public indication that at least some in the campaign were willing to accept Russian help."

Trump Jr. confirmed to the Times he had met Veselnitskaya at the request of an acquaintance, but he denied that he received any information on Clinton.

President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his then- campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, also attended the meeting on June 9, 2016.

Six days later, on June 15, hacker Guccifer 2.0 published damaging Democratic National Committee files, data that reportedly had ties to Russian hacks.

The following month, WikiLeaks released stolen emails from the Democratic National Committee.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has maintained he did not receive any DNC emails from "the Russian government or a state party."