WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a senior member of the House Committees on Judiciary and Homeland Security and Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations released the following statement about newly-released emails that show Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian attorney during the 2016 presidential election hoping to obtain damaging information on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton:

“After months of denials, deflections and obfuscation, there now exists what amounts to a smoking gun tying the Trump campaign to Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Newly-released emails prove Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian attorney hoping to obtain damaging information on Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

“Whether or not any compromising information on Secretary Clinton was actually revealed at the meeting is immaterial. The emails reveal the eagerness of Trump campaign senior officials to accept help from the Russians to subvert our electoral process and cheat the American people; disgraceful behavior bordering on treason.

“The continued inaction by the House Judiciary Committee to investigate leaves a huge missing component to restoring our constitutional order. How many more disturbing but inevitable revelations of potentially illegal activities will be made before the House Judiciary Committee acts?”