The Donald Jr. Crisis: What Was Done Right

The Litigation Daily July 12, 2017

As the Trump administration remains under constant scrutiny, another solider in the president’s family is facing a crisis related to Russia. The media continues to unearth new information in the Russia probe, and this week, The New York Times released a story that put Donald Trump, Jr. directly in the spotlight.

PR 101 would advise anyone in crisis that addressing the media quickly is imperative. You always want to be honest, and limited transparency typically implies dishonesty.

Donald Jr. offered shifting narratives about the meeting before proactively releasing a chain of emails on Tuesday. The messages revealed his plans to meet a Russian lawyer last June.
It’s not ideal that his story (e.g. the meeting was only about Russian adoptions; the meeting was about campaign dirt but he had no reason to think there was a Russian government connection) rapidly changed. But in short order, he leapfrogged the New York Times to get his message out there, tweeting the email chain as the paper was on the verge of publishing its own story.

Like him or not, believe him or not, his actions were an attempt to get ahead of the bad news and get his message out to the public first.

In general, people respond to those who are willing to take responsibility in difficult situations, and this was his attempt to do just that.

Donald Jr. understood the story was about to erupt, and he engaged. Waiting to respond can allow nefarious theories to spread faster than a California wildfire. He chose to be proactive, rather than to take a damaging story sitting down.

By contrast, consider a very different approach in another high-profile political scandal: Hillary Clinton’s emails. The obfuscations and explanations she provided inspired many more questions than answers. Perhaps Don Jr. learned a lesson watching her scandal unfold.

The next person in the spotlight (and there most certainly will be a next person) needs to understand in this hyper-charged environment that transparency and immediacy are the two critical
elements of any response.

When a crisis hits, the first thing to do is figure out what facts you need to convey. Then, with counsel, decide which of those facts you can communicate publicly based on legal and other restraints.
It goes without saying that honesty is always the best policy. Transparency creates trust, and acting defensively won't win you any admirers. Leaders earn respect when they are willing to publicly take responsibility. As Hillary discovered, stonewalling or refusing to provide information is the wrong way to go. The truth comes out. Yes, companies and individuals are eventually forced to respond, but by that point, the damage is done and impressions have been formed.

Donald Trump Jr. learned that moving quickly is necessary when you are trying to set the agenda. Acting with transparently and showing a level of responsiveness won’t kill the story, but it will give you some control over how fast and far it goes with minimal speculation and rumor.
The lesson here for everyone is that if you’d like the entire world to find something out, write it in an email. Emails are not private. They can be shared by the person you sent it to, hacked, captured in a screen grab. Be careful what you put in your emails. If you don’t want to see it in print, don’t write it.

I tell my daughter all the time that nothing communicated online is really private. A trusted friend one day can be an enemy the next.

Elizabeth Lampert is president of Elizabeth Lampert PR, which specializes in law firm marketing and business development.
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