House Intelligence Panel Preparing Report on Election Interference

BY: Graham Piro Follow
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March 12, 2018 3:53 pm

The House Intelligence Committee has completed interviews and is preparing a report on its probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The report resulting from the yearlong probe will be based on more that 50 interviews and thousands of pages of documents, the Wall Street Journal reported.  Those interviewed over the course of the investigation include prominent members of the Trump campaign: former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, son Donald Trump, Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner, and former senior strategist Steve Bannon.

The Republican-led probe has been conducted at the same time as a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence investigation, and special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged Russian meddling and collusion during the 2016 election.

The intent of both the House and Senate probes has been to take a closer look at a January 2017 conclusion from the U.S. intelligence community that the Russian government took steps to influence American voters.

Three Russian companies and 13 Russian individuals were indicted last month on charges of perpetrating an effort to interfere in the election. Trump, meanwhile, has continued to deny any collusion between his campaign and Russia for the purpose of targeting Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and benefiting of his campaign.

In early January, the Washington Free Beacon reported that the House Intelligence Committee was expanding its investigation into how the FBI and Department of Justice handled its probe into interference. As a result of that expansion, chair of the Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes authored and ultimately released the controversial “Nunes Memo.” The memo alleged abuses of power on the parts of the FBI and the DOJ in their surveillance of Trump campaign foreign policy advisor Carter Page.

Nunes had previously been criticized for appearing to try to obstruct justice in the panel’s investigation. However, he was cleared of any wrongdoing in a December 2017 House ethics probe.

Democrats, meanwhile, have had their share of criticism when it comes to the House investigation. Throughout the process, Democrats have said they are unhappy with what they deem to be a lack of thoroughness in the GOP-run investigation. The Democrats suggested six individuals of interest they wanted to subpoena late last month, but those individuals were rejected by the Republicans on the committee.

The Journal notes that, based on interviews with multiple lawmakers and aides on both sides, Republicans and Democrats on the House panel are unlikely to come to a bipartisan conclusion on some of the central questions in the probe, including whether anyone from the Trump campaign worked with Russians to help tip the election in his favor.