Russia investigation in House off to rocky start
WASHINGTON — A simmering dispute between leaders of the House intelligence committee spilled into the public Monday over an investigation into whether President Donald Trump has ties to Russia, even as they pledged to conduct a bipartisan probe.
The Republican committee chairman, Rep. Devin Nunes of California, said he has heard no evidence so far that anyone in Trump’s orbit was in contact with Russians during the presidential campaign. The top Democrat on the committee, Adam Schiff, also of California, said the committee’s investigation was hardly off the ground and it was premature to make any conclusions.
The nature of ties between Trump’s associates and Russia has dogged him throughout his nascent presidency, and Monday brought renewed calls for a special prosecutor to investigate the unusual situation.
Federal investigators have been
WASHINGTON — Former President George W. Bush said Monday “we all need answers” on the extent of contact between President Donald Trump’s team and the Russian government, and didn’t rule out the idea that a special prosecutor could be necessary to lead an investigation.
The Republican also defended the media’s role in keeping world leaders in check, noting that “power can be addictive,” and warned against immigration policies that could alienate Muslims.
“I am for an immigration policy that’s welcoming and upholds the law,” Bush told NBC’s “Today” show. looking into contacts between Trump advisers and Russia for months, along with Russia’s role in political hacking during the campaign aimed at Democrats. Trump said Monday he hasn’t called Russia in 10 years.
The House and Senate intelligence committees are conducting separate investigations. But revelations the White House enlisted the Republican chairmen of those com- mittees to push back against news reports have intensified concerns over whether the congressional investigations will be tainted by political influence.
Nunes has said the White House asked him to talk with one reporter but didn’t give him any guidance on what to say. He said he told that reporter the same thing he has said to many other reporters in the course of discussions.
Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina said he wasn’t taking questions about whether the White House enlisted him to talk to reporters, as reported by The Washington Post. He said he doesn’t need to talk about it.
“I’m in a comfortable place. I didn’t do anything to jeopardize my investigation,” Burr told The Associated Press on his way out of the Capitol after Senate votes Monday night.
The issue was likely to come up at Tuesday’s Senate confirmation hearing for former Sen. Dan Coats, Trump’s pick to be the next director of intelligence.