The House Intelligence Committee is calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsWhite House aides told DOJ official to stop taking calls from lobbyists House panel signals Russia probe document dump before midterms MORE to investigate a former Trump campaign aide over whether the campaign colluded with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election.
Rep. Adam Schiff Adam Bennett SchiffHillicon Valley: Trump signs off on Iran sanctions | Tech exec: Trump’s trade war with China ‘bad for U.S. economy’ | House panel approves bill to lift limits on offshore drilling | Facebook to create tax-free savings account in Trump’s name MORE (D-Calif.) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger Adam Michael KinzigerTrump, Trump, and the opioid crisis: A timeline of the opioid epidemicCongressional Dems push for answers on Russia investigation Dems push to hold Russia probe vote on floor | Sessions calls on White House to declassify key documents on Russia probe MORE (R-Ill.) sent a letter to Sessions last week asking him to open a criminal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Schiff said in the letter that he is “aware of several investigations that are underway, but this one has the potential to become one of the largest investigations of any kind.”
“In light of the FBI’s recent release of documents and the President’s repeated claims of Russian interference in the election, I believe that it is important for you to conduct an investigation to determine whether there are any links between President Trump’s 2016 campaign and the Russian Government,” the lawmakers wrote.
“The FBI and its Director have confirmed that there are no connections between Mr. Trump’s team and the Russians, but we cannot rule out the possibility that they could be acting on behalf of the Russians to help elect Mr. Donald Trump as President of the United States,” they continued.
“It is my hope that you will conduct this investigation with the full independence of the Justice Department and the fullest cooperation of the House Intelligence Chairwoman and the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, to ensure the integrity of the investigation and to ensure that there is no attempt to interfere with the integrity and the work of this important bipartisan body.”
Last week, the FBI released memos detailing the agency’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to the Kremlin.
Trump has been accused of leaking information about the investigation to the press.
“I will be asking for your full cooperation in the investigation into Russia’s interference in our elections, and I expect that you, and any other members of the Trump Administration who have any information, will be eager to share it,” Schiff said.
“To date, I have not received any response to my letter.
I expect more to come from the President, his associates, and his lawyers as we move forward.”
Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Russia.