Donald Trump Jr has been subpoenaed to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee as part of its probe into Russia’s election interference, according to people familiar with the matter.
The subpoena – the first against a member of President Trump’s family – is understood to have been issued to compel his testimony over answers he gave previously to congressional investigators.
News of the subpoena came a day after Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell declared the Russia probe "closed", and will likely increase tensions between the White House and Congress.
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The parallel investigation by House Democrats has degenerated into political acrimony, but the probe by the Republican-controlled Senate has largely proceeded with bipartisan vigour.
And the subpoena of Mr Trump Jr shows the Senate committee under Mr McConnell’s jurisdiction are not so aligned with the president’s desire for a swift conclusion to the Russia probe.
AP
The committee is understood to be particularly interested in Mr Trump Jr’s account of a 2016 meeting in Trump Tower where the president’s campaign was offered dirt on Hillary Clinton.
Members of the Senate committee may then compare Mr Trump Jr’s testimony about the meeting – and plans for a Trump Tower Moscow – to responses he previously gave to investigators.
The legal counsel for Mr Trump Jr declined to comment on revelations about the subpoena, issued in recent weeks, as did spokespeople for Senate Intelligence Committee leaders.
Republicans on Wednesday expressed frustration over the subpoena. Representative Kevin McCarthy posted on Twitter that Mr Trump Jr had "already spent hours" testifying.
The aggressive move to subpoena the president’s son appeared to be a last resort for the Senate committee, after Mr Trump Jr declined to appear before congressional lawmakers voluntarily.
Mr Trump Jr was unlikely to appear before the Senate committee in person, given the administration’s continued reluctance to cooperate on an issue the president sees a "witch hunt".
The Trump Tower meeting that took place 9 June 2016 remains of interest to investigators because Mr Trump Jr said he had never divulged details of the meeting with the president.
But that account was disputed by Michael Cohen, the president’s longtime former lawyer, who recalled Mr Trump Jr did in fact reveal the contents of the meeting’s discussions to his father.
Mr Cohen told investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller that Mr Trump Jr told the president about a planned meeting "to obtain adverse information about [Hillary] Clinton".
The special counsel considered bringing charges against some of the meeting’s participants but ultimately did not over concerns they were unlikely to prove wrongdoing beyond doubt.