Udall calls for independent probe into Russian contacts

Heinrich assails White House over lax security procedures

WASHINGTON — Spurred by reports of questionable White House security measures and contacts with the Russian government, New Mexico’s U.S. senators are asking separately for additional information and an independent investigation.

After National Security Adviser Michael Flynn resigned Monday, Sen. Tom Udall, a Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, signed on to a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions requesting that the Justice Department appoint an independent special counsel to conduct the inquiry.

“We are deeply concerned about credible allegations that the Trump campaign, transition team, and Administration have colluded with the Russian government, including most recently the events leading to the resignation of Lieutenant General Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor,” the letter said. “General Flynn’s conversations with Russian Ambassador (Sergey) Kislyak, and possibly other foreign envoys, may be violations of criminal law and ethical standards. Just as alarming as the legal or ethical wrongdoing is the strong likelihood that other members of President Trump’s team were involved in similar conduct, and the apparent cover-up by General Flynn together with other officials in the Trump Administration.

“An independent investigation is now necessary to determine what General Flynn did, who knew about it, and when,” the letter adds.

New Mexico’s only Republican in Congress, Rep. Steve Pearce, also supports in independent investigation, Pearce spokeswoman Keeley Christensen said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has chastised the White House on Twitter for what he describes as lax security procedures. He seemed particularly concerned about Trump’s discussion of a North Korean missile test over the weekend in full view of guests at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Heinrich on Tuesday asked acting Director of National Intelligence Michael Dempsey about the process used to grant access to classified information for White House staff, including the National Security Council and the Office of the Vice President.

“The safety and security of the United States and the lives of our citizens depend on the responsible handling of sensitive information,” Heinrich wrote Dempsey in a letter. “The policy of the United States Government has long been to restrict access to sensitive information to only those for whom access is truly necessary, and only so long as they are thoroughly vetted and have been determined to meet strict eligibility requirements.”

With respect to the Russian controversy that engulfed Flynn, President Donald Trump tweeted this week that government leaks that triggered the controversy are the “real story.”

In a Journal interview Tuesday, Heinrich said he’s “always concerned about leaks” as a member of the intelligence community, but that they occur in both Republican and Democratic administrations.

“I think that’s a management issue that needs to be addressed and is perfectly legitimate to hold people accountable for,” Heinrich said. “It does not, however, change the fact that the reason Michael Flynn stepped down is a very serious departure from American national security policy and legal approach going back decades.”