Democrats held a press conference on Tuesday to address unanswered questions surrounding National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s resignation. Flynn left his post amid reports that he spoke with the Kremlin about sanctions before Trump took office.
“President Trump owes the American people an explanation,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said.
Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) then offered a quick summary of the situation.
“Flynn was secretly communicating with Russian officials at the same time Russia was attacking our democracy,” he said, violating the Logan Act. Flynn may have resigned, Cummings said, but he’s not going to get off that easy.
Nor, it seems, is President Trump.
“What did the president know and when did he know it,” Cummings wondered.
Furthermore, “Why did Flynn continue to sit on classified briefings” and “Who at the White House decided to do nothing after three weeks?”
The controversy demands an investigation, the Democrats insisted. Yet, “Chaffetz has not lifted a finger” toward that end, Cummings noted. The Republicans, he added, are "abdicating their duty."
“The Republicans need to join us,” Cummings said. “This is an American issue.”
Since the Oversight Committee is not going to act, the Democrats said they want an independent commission to do the job.