Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:39 pm
The top Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and House Oversight Committee, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), have announced that they will be introducing a bill to create a bipartisan commission on Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted about the bill:
I & @RepCummings have intro'd #ProtectOurDemocracy Act to create bipartisan commission to investigate foreign interference in US elections.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) December 7, 2016
Mother Jones reported on the details of the proposed bipartisan commission, “It would be comprised of 12 members, equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. The members would be appointed by the House speaker, the Senate majority leader, and the two Democratic leaders of the House and Senate. This commission would be granted subpoena power, the ability to hold public hearings, and the task of producing a public report.”
The legislation and proposed commission to investigate Russian election interference comes on the heels of a letter to President Obama urging the President to hold classified briefings on Russian election interference, “To evaluate Congress’s response appropriately, we would like all Members to have a comprehensive understanding of what the U.S. Intelligence Community knows regarding Russia’s involvement in these actions and attempts to interfere in our election. Specifically, we are requesting a classified briefing that will provide details regarding Russian entities’ hacking of American political organizations; hacking and strategic release of emails from campaign officials; the WikiLeaks disclosures; fake news stories produced and distributed with the intent to mislead American voters; and any other Russian or Russian-related interference or involvement in our recent election.”
Democrats have yet to break this story into the mainstream of American politics, but they are continuing to press for a full investigation. The investigations will happen with or without Republican cooperation. The trust and integrity of the nation’s electoral process are at stake.
However, without a “smoking gun” to capture the general public’s attention, it is unlikely that the investigation will break through the endless sycophantic Trump filter that is dominating cable news. Democrats can see the evidence, and they understand that Russia interfered in the presidential election, but unless Republicans are forced to do put country first, they will continue to turn a blind eye and attempt to escape with their potentially ill-gotten electoral gains like thieves in the night.
The only way that Congressional Republicans will ever listen is if they are forced to do by the American people.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
