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U.S. NEWSFriday 24 November 2017
Congressional Russia probes likely to head into 2018
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., center, standing with Rep. findings, publicize any per- sional primaries begin.
Peter King, R-N.Y., left, and Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., right, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington. ceived wrongdoing and HOUSE COMMITTEE
As Congress returns from its Thanksgiving break next week, some Republicans would like to wrap pass legislation to try to In the House, Democrats
up investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election that have dragged on for most of the keep problems from hap- hope the intelligence com-
year. But with new details in the probe emerging on an almost daily basis, that timeline seems pening again. If any com- mittee can remain focused
unlikely. mittee finds evidence of on the Russia probe as the
criminal activity, it must re- panel’s GOP chairman,
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh) fer the matter to Mueller. Rep. Devin Nunes, and
All three committees have other Republicans have
By MARY JALONICK the probe emerging almost uments from Trump’s cam- focused on a June 2016 launched new, separate in-
Associated Press daily, that seems unlikely. paign and other officials, meeting that Trump cam- vestigations into Democrat
WASHINGTON (AP) — Some Three congressional com- and have done dozens of paign officials held in Hillary Clinton and a ura-
Republicans are hop- mittees are investigating interviews. Trump Tower with a Russian nium deal during President
ing lawmakers will soon Russian interference and The probes are separate lawyer and others. They are Barack Obama’s admin-
wrap up investigations into whether President Don- from special counsel Rob- also looking into outreach istration. Nunes stepped
Russian meddling in the ald Trump’s campaign ert Mueller’s investigation. by several other Russians back from the Russia probe
2016 election that have was in any way involved. Mueller can prosecute to the campaign, including in April after criticism that
dragged on for most of the The panels have obtained for criminal activity, while involvement of George Pa- he was too close to the
year. But with new details in thousands of pages of doc- Congress can only lay out padopoulos, who pleaded White House, but remains
guilty this month to lying chairman of the commit-
to the FBI as part of Muel- tee.
ler’s probe. New threads Some Republicans on the
continue to emerge, such panel have grown restless
as a recent revelation that with the probe, saying it
Donald Trump Jr. was mes- has amounted to a fishing
saging with WikiLeaks, the expedition and pushing for
website that leaked emails it to end.
from top Democratic offi- Still, the committee has
cials during the campaign. continued to interview doz-
A look at the committees ens of witnesses involved
that are investigating, and with the Trump campaign,
the status of their work among them several par-
when they return from their ticipants in the 2016 meet-
Thanksgiving break: ing. On Nov. 30, the panel
will interview Attorney Gen-
SENATE COMMITTEE eral Jeff Sessions behind
The Senate intelligence closed doors.
panel, which has been the Lawmakers are interested
most bipartisan in its ap- in Sessions’ knowledge
proach, has interviewed about interactions be-
more than 100 people, in- tween Trump campaign
cluding most of those at- aides and Russians, and
tending the Trump Tower also his own contacts.
meeting.
Chairman Richard Burr of JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
North Carolina and the The Senate Judiciary Com-
panel’s top Democrat, mittee has also divided
Virginia Sen. Mark War- along partisan lines as
ner, have said they plan Chairman Chuck Grassley,
to bring in Donald Trump R-Iowa, and California Sen.
Jr. The president’s son was Dianne Feinstein, the pan-
one of several Trump cam- el’s top Democrat, haven’t
paign officials in the meet- agreed on some interviews
ing. and subpoenas.
The committee has looked But as in the House, the
broadly at the issue of in- panel has proceeded any-
terference, and called in way, conducting biparti-
executives from Facebook, san, closed-door interviews
Twitter and Google, push- with several people who
ing them to take steps to were in the 2016 meeting.
prevent Russian election The panel is showing re-
meddling on their plat- cent signs that it is aggres-
forms. Warner told The As- sively pursuing the inves-
sociated Press the commit- tigation. The committee
tee is still looking for more is the only one to have in-
information from those terviewed Trump Jr. And
companies, which were just before the Thanksgiv-
initially reluctant to coop- ing break, it sent Trump’s
erate. son-in-law, Jared Kushner,
Burr has said that he wants a letter asking him to be
to wrap up the probe by more forthcoming with the
early spring, when congres- committee.q
