By contrast, the president’s son-in-law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, who also attended the meeting, lay low, releasing carefully worded comments through his lawyer and referring questions to Trump Jr., who remains in New York overseeing the Trump Organization.

“You may be under the impression that there’s this very large organically and elegantly coordinated interaction between lawyers,” said Alan Futerfas, who signed on in June as Trump Jr.’s attorney. “At this point, that’s not my experience.”

The radically different responses of the brothers-in-law may ultimately drive a wedge between them as the federal and congressional investigations proceed.

“Trump Jr.’s decision to make those statements personally, instead of via an attorney, was poor strategy and could conflict with Kushner’s interests,” said Renato Mariotti, a former assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago. “Ultimately, his decision to stake out a public position could make it harder for Kushner’s team to align its efforts with his.”