Panel to look at Russia probe
Graham says Senate Judiciary Committee won’t call Obama
WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said Thursday his committee is opening a wide-ranging inquiry into the Russia investigation, but rejected President Donald Trump’s call to bring in former President Barack Obama to testify.
“I am greatly concerned about the precedent that would be set by calling a former president for oversight,” said Graham, a South Carolina Republican.
Graham noted the surprising nature of his announcement, saying: “To say we are living in unusual times is an understatement.”
The U.S. has a sitting president accusing the former president “of being part of a treasonous conspiracy to undermine his presidency,” Graham
said. “We have the former president suggesting the current president is destroying the rule of law” by dismissing a case against Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. “All of this is occurring during a major pandemic.”
The Judiciary Committee will first delve into the Justice Department’s decision to dismiss its prosecution of Flynn, as well as actions by the Obama administration to view Flynn’s name in intelligence reports during the Russia probe, Graham said.
“We must determine if these requests were legitimate,” Graham said, referring to requests by top Obama administration officials to “unmask” Flynn’s name.
Graham also said the committee will look into potential abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, during a probe of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.
“My goal is to find out why and how the system got so off the rails,” Graham said.
The Judiciary Committee also will look at whether Robert Mueller should have been appointed as special counsel in the Russia probe.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer railed against Republicans’ renewed focus on Flynn and the Russia investigation.
“We’re in the middle of a public health and economic crisis, and Senate Republicans are diving headfirst into the muck … when President Trump should be focusing on solving this crisis,” Schumer said.
Hearings by the Judiciary Committee will start in early June, Graham said.