Intelligence Committee will investigate possible Russia-Trump links
Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said late Friday that his committee would investigate possible contacts between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia, reversing himself one day after telling reporters that the issue would be outside of his panel's ongoing probe into Moscow's election-disruption efforts.
Burr and the intelligence panel's top Democrat, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, said in a joint statement that the committee's probe would touch on "intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns" as well as Russian cyberattacks and other election meddling outlined in an intelligence report released last week.
The committee will use ”subpoenas if necessary" to secure testimony from Obama administration officials as well as Trump's team, Burr and Warner said.
The bipartisan Senate announcement came hours after several House Democrats aired their frustrations with FBI Director James Comey following a classified briefing on Russian election disruption. The Democrats were livid that Comey declined to confirm whether he is conducting an inquiry into potential Trump ties to Russia, The Guardian reported — a question that he publicly declined to answer earlier this week.
Burr said late Thursday that he did not plan to touch on possible contacts between Trump emissaries and Russia, asserting that the issue likely falls under the FBI's purview. "We don't have anything to do with political campaigns," the Republican said.
The joint announcement from Burr and Warner commits the intelligence panel not only to probing possible Trump-Russia ties, but also to releasing "both classified and unclassified reports" with its conclusions and holding some open hearings. However, "the bulk of the committee's business" during the investigation will be tackled in private, the senators said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) "have made it clear they expect any investigation into Russia's involvement in our nation's elections to be conducted in a bipartisan manner," Burr and Warner said.
Warner added in his own statement that although the intelligence panel is "clearly best positioned" to tackle a wide-ranging Russia investigation, he would not rule out supporting legislation "to empower whoever can do it right" if the committee runs into difficulties. The Virginian is among a group of Democrats who have yet to endorse a proposal from senior members of their party for a select committee that would look at Russia's election cyberattacks and cybersecurity in general.
