House Democrats renewed calls for a vote on an independent commission to investigate Russia’s interference in the U.S. election and ties to the Trump administration during their Friday morning press conference, with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi saying Republicans “have become enablers of the violations of our Constitution.”
After a Russian American lobbyist and former Soviet counterintelligence official claimed he attended the June 2016 meeting with Donald Trump, Jr. that was part of Russia’s effort to help his father Donald Trump get elected, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and other top House Democrats sounded the alarm about Republicans failure to investigate the Trump administration’s ties to Russia.
Announcing plans to try to force votes to get an investigation, Pelosi said, “Earlier this week, we saw cold hard evidence that the Trump administration and the Trump family have eagerly intended to collude with Russia, a hostile foreign policy, to influence an American election.”
“Today we learned a former Russian counter-intelligence agent was also present at the meeting,” the Democratic leader said, reminding the public that members of Congress take an oath to uphold the Constitution.
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Pelosi said that Republican Speaker Ryan has avoided any response to uphold the Constitution, and that he has ignored her calls for an independent investigation. She said Republicans in Congress should stop hiding from the truth, and stop hiding the truth from the American people.
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Pelosi said it was “absolutely ridiculous” that Jared Kushner’s security clearance has not been revoked yet.
The Democratic Leader said the President could revoke Kushner’s clearance at any moment. She added that Republicans in Congress should stop hiding and stop hiding the truth from the American people.
Pelosi said Democrats would try to force votes on the issue on the House floor, even though their ability as the minority is limited.
Pelosi said House Democrats were “not going to let the Republicans off the hook for their complicity,” saying, “They have become enablers of the violations of our Constitution, the attack on the integrity of our elections.”
The Minority Leader called on Republicans to take on-the-record positions regarding Trump’s possible ties to Russia.
After months of trying to cool calls for impeachment and cautioning people to wait for the evidence, upon news that Donald Trump, Jr. responded eagerly to Russian carrots of dirt on Hillary Clinton and now learning that a former Soviet counterintelligence officer – suspected by some officials of having ties to Russian intelligence – also attended the meeting, Pelosi has seen enough Russian smoke to escalate the issue.
Pelosi has approached the Russia scandal with more calm and calls to wait for evidence than most would have in her position, certainly more than any Republican would have if the parties were reversed. So her charges today are harder to dismiss as partisan attacks.
Pelosi concluded before turning things over to Maxine Waters, “House Republicans will have to answer for their actions.”
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