Russia Probe Transcripts Released by House Panel After Delays
WASHINGTON — The House Intelligence Committee released thousands of pages of transcripts from previously secret witness interviews in an investigation into 2016 Russian election interference completed two years ago, rekindling partisan accusations and interpretations amid President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.
“The transcripts that we are releasing today show precisely what special counsel Robert Mueller also revealed: That the Trump campaign, and Donald Trump himself, invited illicit Russian help, made full use of that help, and then lied and obstructed the investigations in order to cover up this misconduct,” Rep. Adam Schiff, the panel’s Democratic chairman, said in a statement Thursday.
Among the 57 transcripts from 2017 and 2018 are those of Donald Trump Jr., Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, former Trump 2016 campaign adviser Steve Bannon, former Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions and former Obama administration officials including National Security Adviser Susan Rice, Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power.
Led at the time by Rep. Devin Nunes of California, the Intelligence Committee concluded its investigation in 2018 with a report by the Republican majority finding no collusion between Trump’s successful presidential campaign and Russia’s efforts to meddle in the election.
Democrats sharply disagreed, and renewed conflict over the transcripts emerged after they were sent to intelligence community agencies controlled by the executive branch for declassification.
“These transcripts should have been released long before now, but the White House held up their release to the public by refusing to allow the Intelligence Community to make redactions on the basis of classified information, rather than White House political interests,” Schiff said in a statement.
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