Trump continues railing against the media and Don Jr.'s role in Mueller's investigation - here are the highlights from Sunday's political appearances
President Donald Trump's condemnation of the media and Donald Trump Jr.'s role in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation set the stage for several high-profile political appearances on cable news stations.
The Sunday shows are a chance for political heavyweights to debate the week's most pressing stories and policies. They include: ABC's "This Week," CBS's "Face the Nation," CNN's "State of the Union," Fox's "Fox News Sunday," and NBC's "Meet the Press."
Here are this week's highlights:
Trump's attorney downplayed the campaign's 2016 meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer
President Donald Trump's attorney, Jay Sekulow, questioned the importance of the June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer who Trump tweeted about on Sunday morning.
In the tweet, Trump referenced "Fake News," a term he uses to describe critical and unfavorable media coverage, and appeared to be responding to stories published the day before by CNN and the Washington Post.
According to CNN and The Post's anonymous sources, the president said his concerns over Trump Jr. have pushed him to issue critical public statements against US intelligence and the media.
"The question is how would it be illegal," Sekulow said, referring to Trump Jr.'s meeting. "You have to look at what laws, rules, regulations, statutes are purportedly violated here."
"Well, they've actually pointed to several, including conspiracy to defraud the United States,"ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos replied. "That would be one of the possible charges, aiding and abetting conspiracy."
Read more: Business Insider
Fox News' Chris Wallace to John Bolton: "What wars have we caused?"
"Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace pressed national security adviser John Bolton about President Trump's tweet, which took aim at journalists and asserted they can "cause war."
Wallace read the tweet to Bolton and asked: "What wars have we started?"
Bolton didn't discuss the content of Trump's tweet. Wallace continued by saying that although measured media criticism is valuable, Trump's ramped-up attacks are "taking it to a completely different level."
"That's the president's view, based on the attacks the media has made," Bolton said. "I think this kind of adversarial relationship is typical."
Watch the Fox News clip here:Asked about the President’s press attacks, @AmbJohnBolton tells Chris: This kind of adversary relationship is typical. #FNS pic.twitter.com/cA0Ya2W5fT
— FoxNewsSunday (@FoxNewsSunday) August 5, 2018Kellyanne Conway says she doesn't believe journalists are the "enemy of the people."
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said she doesn't believe the press is the "enemy of the people," as President Donald Trump noted last week.
CBS's "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan asked Conway about Trump's Sunday morning tweet, in which he blamed the media for sowing "division and distrust" and claimed they had the ability to "cause War."
Conway said Trump's comments can't be read with a "broad brush," and although she didn't agree with casting the media as the "enemy," she offered a measured defense of journalists.
"I don't believe journalists are the enemy of the people," Conway said. "I think some journalists are the enemy of the relevant, and enemy of the news you can use. And I think that most of the sins are sins of omission, not commission."
Read more: Business Insider
Rep. Adam Schiff says there's evidence "in plain sight" that Trump colluded with the Russians
Rep. Adam Schiff of California said there was unmistakable evidence that Trump colluded with Russians during the 2016 US presidential election.
Schiff was responding to Kellyanne Conway's previous segment where she claimed Trump's description of a "witch hunt" and "hoax" referred to the view that Russia was involved with his election campaign, and not the US investigation of Russia's election interference at large.
"I think there's plenty of evidence of collusion or conspiracy in plain sight," Schiff said on CBS's "Face the Nation."
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee also referenced the security for November's midterm elections, saying that "as long as Russia interferes on Donald Trump’s side in the midterms, Vladimir Putin can count on the president not to call him out."
Read more: CBS
Sen. Marco Rubio said "the best thing" for Trump and the US is to let special counsel Robert Mueller complete his investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida joined several other Republican lawmakers who defended the special counsel's investigation after Trump called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the Russia probe.
The "best thing that can happen" for Trump and the country is for the investigation to "run the course and for all the truth to come out," Rubio said on "Fox News Sunday."
Read more: The Hill