Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D., Va.) admitted Wednesday that he probably met a donor at the center of a Department of Justice investigation into him and his campaign for accepting illegal contributions in 2013.
McAuliffe was asked about the investigation during an interview with radio station WTOP. McAuliffe said he may have met the donor, Wang Wenliang, in the past. The answer was a reversal from Tuesday, when McAuliffe told reporters he never had met Wang.
When WTOP first asked McAuliffe about the investigation, he decided to first go after the Department of Justice and FBI for the story being leaked.
"I would say that I was somewhat shocked when this got leaked ... it is very unfortunate that our institutions of integrity, like Justice and the FBI would leak information. They should be held to a higher standard," McAuliffe said. "But listen, you live in this world, you're in politics, these things happen."
McAuliffe then praised Wang—the man who one day before he claimed never to have met—by listing institutions to which he has donated or done business. He later admitted he may have met with Wang.
"But to Mr. Wang—who I probably met once or twice in my life, I'm not even exactly sure—[he is] a fine upstanding individual and it's very unfortunate," McAuliffe said while continuing to criticize his investigators.
"You don't have personal ties to him?" the host asked.
"No, zero," McAuliffe said.