WASHINGTON ― House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says Republicans aren’t moving quickly enough to investigate the ties between President Donald Trump’s administration and Russia.
“They’re stonewalling this. The American people deserve better,” she told reporters Wednesday during a press briefing on Capitol Hill. “The public is owed the truth, deserves the truth. We hope the FBI is pursuing the truth.”
Pelosi said an independent outside commission should look into Trump’s ties to Russia following revelations that Michael Flynn had spoken to Russia’s U.S. ambassador about sanctions against the Kremlin ― and then lied about it ― prior to Trump’s inauguration and prior to becoming the national security adviser. Flynn resigned from the position Monday.
The New York Times later reported that members of Trump’s campaign contacted Russia repeatedly before the election.
“The public is owed the truth, deserves the truth. We hope the FBI is pursuing the truth.”
- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
Top House Republicans apparently didn’t think the reports merited an investigation.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) announced on Tuesday that he would not open an investigation into Flynn. He said his committee instead plans to examine the leaks coming from the intelligence community. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said he wouldn’t open an investigation either.
Appearing alongside Pelosi at the press conference on Wednesday, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) called Nunes’ unwillingness to investigate the matter “crazy.”
Senate Republicans are more divided on whether to probe Trump’s Russia ties. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he wanted to look into Flynn’s actions. But he maintained he didn’t think an independent commission was the best way to go about it because it could take years to produce answers.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he flat-out didn’t think Republicans should be investigating members of their own party.
“We’ll never even get started with doing the things we need to do like repealing Obamacare if we’re spending our whole time having Republicans investigate Republicans. I think it makes no sense,” Paul said on Fox News’ “Kilmeade and Friends” radio show.