Two Democratic lawmakers read on the House floor Friday Donald Trump Jr.'s emails he released Tuesday about a meeting a publicist wanted to arrange with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 presidential campaign, calling them a "smoking gun" for claims of Russian influence in the Trump campaign.
Reps. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., and Ted Lieu, D-Calif., read the emails aloud amid a backdrop of a large poster board of Trump, Jr. on the cover of this week's Time magazine with the words "Red Handed" emblazoned on it, The Hill reported Friday.
"Don Jr.'s emails are a smoking gun," Gallego said. "They prove that the Trump campaign was not only aware of the Russian government's efforts to meddle in our elections, they were enthusiastic about accepting Russian support."
The email exchange suggested Trump Jr. was eager about the possibility of meeting with the Russian lawyer who was supposed to have incriminating information on 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Gallego said the emails "paint a disturbing picture of a campaign, and now an administration, willing to break the law and sell out to an adversary of the United States in order to advance their own petty interests."
He then tried to cast a shadow against President Donald Trump, asking Americans to consider his "fitness" for office, while claiming the younger Trump "lacks basic integrity."
Republican California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher took to the House floor following his Democratic colleagues' attack against the Trumps, saying they were using "sinister sounding descriptions" of Trump Jr.'s contacts with Russia.