Senate committee probe on Russian interference in US election begins Thursday

iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — While the House Intelligence Committee is embroiled in controversy, the Senate Intelligence Committee’s chairman, Sen. Richard Burr, and vice chair, Sen. Mark Warner, are committed to getting to the bottom of Russian interference in the U.S. election and any possible collusion between President Trump, his aides and the Russian government.

The Senate Intelligence Committee will hold an open hearing Thursday and several witnesses, including Gen. Keith Alexander, the former National Security Agency director, are expected to testify.

Thursday’s hearing will last about two hours and will look at “the policies that we think Russia is implementing and to look at the technologies that display their capabilities,” according to Burr.

“This investigation’s scope will go wherever the intelligence leads,” Burr said Wednesday in a joint press conference with Warner. “So, it is absolutely crucial that every day we spend trying to separate fact from fiction.”

The Senate Intelligence Committee sent requests to 20 individuals to be interviewed, and so far five are scheduled.

On the House side, Democrats are calling for Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, to recuse himself from the committee’s probe because of doubts that he would not be impartial in the investigation.

The Senate Intelligence Committee’s leaders made clear Wednesday that they do not want to be associated with the House’s investigation.

“We’re not asking the House to play any role in our investigation. We don’t plan to play any role in their investigation,” Burr explained.

The Senate Intelligence Committee held an opening hearing in January in which intelligence leaders blamed the Russian government for the hacking of individuals and organizations involved in the 2016 presidential election.

“We have high confidence that President Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election,” James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, said at the time. “The goals of this campaign were to undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic process, denigrate Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and harm her electability and potential presidency. Putin and the Russian government also developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump.”

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter
Share on linkedin
LinkedIn
Share on email
Email
Share on print
Print