No collusion course says GOP probe
‘ACTIVELY COMMUNICATING’
THE GOP-controlled House Intelligence Committee released a heavily redacted report Friday detailing its findings that the Trump campaign did not coordinate with Russian efforts to disrupt the 2016 election.
The Republican conclusions were fiercely opposed by Democrats and other critics who contend that the committee did not do its due diligence in investigating connections between President Trump’s associates and the Kremlin.
The 253-page report found no evidence of collusion, but did cite “poor judgment” and “illconsidered actions” on the part of the Trump team and Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
An investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller is ongoing, as are probes led by the Senate intelligence and judiciary committees.
President Trump, calling the report “very strong,” lauded it Friday.
“It was a great report,” he said during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “No collusion, no coordination, no nothing.”
The House panel did back the findings of the intelligence community that Russia sought to sow discord in the U.S. through cyberattacks and social media.
Mueller filed conspiracy and fraud charges against 13 Russian nationals and three organizations for interfering in the 2016 U.S. election to help Trump.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told reporters in February that there was no allegation in the indictment that any American knew about the alleged scheme.
Some portions of the GOP report were redacted for national security reasons.
Republicans say they will pressure intelligence agencies to be able to release more information.
Democrats on the panel released nearly 100 pages of their own conclusions, countering the final findings of their counterparts and saying that more work needed to be done.
The Dems assert that Russian intelligence “used intermediaries and cutouts to probe, establish contact, and possibly glean valuable information from a diverse set of actors associated with President Trump and his campaign.”