WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today issued the following statement calling for a bipartisan, Select Committee on the Russian government’s attempts to influence our political system:
“It’s critical that we fully understand the extent of the Russian government’s attempts to influence our elections and government—and we need to form a bipartisan Select Committee to investigate. My Republican colleagues are good people and I know many of them share the American public’s concerns about a foreign government secretly interfering with and influencing U.S. policy. Given Michael Flynn’s communication with Russian officials and his subsequent resignation, it’s time we come together to investigate this matter in a thorough, public, and responsible way.”
Last week, McCaskill called for a classified briefing from the FBI for members of her committee on communications between Flynn and Russia’s ambassador to the United States—a briefing which the FBI has not yet provided. Flynn’s resignation comes after the Washington Post reported that in January, the acting attorney general had previously informed the Trump Administration that Flynn misled senior administration officials and was potentially vulnerable to blackmail by the Russian government.
Select Committees are temporary bipartisan committees formed by Congress to focus on specific issues of concern to the American people.
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