Today, the House Intelligence Committee announced that they would be looking into whether the Trump campaign had contact with Russian intelligence during the 2016 cycle. While both the chairman and ranking member of the committee—Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) respectively—may have had different words to describe what is soon to be an official probe, but it was clear that both men seem to agree that there's no smoking gun to suggest that the Trump campaign had contact with Russia during the election cycle.
Schiff added that he and Nunes have a working relationship that they both want to maintain and added that everyone on the committee wants a credible and thorough review. He also said that he would not shy away from voicing his objections if he feels the committee is veering away from these objectives.
Rep. Adam Schiff: We have reached “no conclusion” on whether the Trump campaign had contact with Russia https://t.co/KnMU1FoVyP
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 27, 2017
Rep. Adam Schiff: “I certainly believe that Mike Flynn needs to come and testify” https://t.co/6OZtrfIwim https://t.co/diF9GZMNh5
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) February 27, 2017
Nunes and Schiff either said that there is no evidence at present that points to Russian communication with the Trump campaign team, or, in Schiff's case, no conclusions can be made. He added that no interviews had been conducted, no documents submitted, and the final scope of the investigation is not yet finalized. He described Nunes remarks as premature. Still, as of right now, there is no solid evidence of collusion.
Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that Trump associates had contact with Russian intelligence a year before the election. They also reported that no collusion was found, and that “it is not unusual for American businessmen to come in contact with foreign intelligence officials, sometimes unwittingly, in countries like Russia and Ukraine, where the spy services are deeply embedded in society.” It was yet another overhyped story about non-existent Russian-Trump contact during the election. It was a nothing burger. CNN offered another update on that Russian dossier that got everyone’s attention, whose contents remains largely unsubstantiated. We know that Russian government officials talked to other Russians, but we don’t know what they talked about. Yeah, not holding my breath that there will be anything noteworthy in that anti-Trump opposition research project.
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Schiff added that the leaks emanating from the Trump White House would also be included in the probe. Looks like Gen. Flynn will have a chance to “defend his honor” in front of Congress.
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