Former Obama senior adviser Susan Rice notified Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that she won’t be testifying in front of the Senate as part of the Russia investigation. By not testifying, Rice destroyed the Republican hopes of distracting from Trump’s potential crimes by blaming the Obama administration.
In a letter to Graham, Rice’s lawyer wrote:
While Ambassador Rice commends the Subcommittee’s efforts to examine this matter of extraordinary national significance, it is extremely rare for the Congress to request the testimony of a former senior advisor to the President given the longstanding and well-recognized separation of powers concerns at issue. Moreover, Chairman Graham’s invitation was extended only after the hearing was noticed, less than two weeks before the hearing was scheduled to occur, and without consultation with Ambassador Rice, a professional courtesy that would customarily be extended to any witness. Notwithstanding the significance of these concerns, Ambassador Rice
is prepared to assist Congressional inquiries into Russian election interference because of the important national interests at stake, provided they are conducted in a bipartisan manner, and as appropriate, in classified session.
In this case, however, Senator Whitehouse has informed us by letter that he did not agree to Chairman Graham’s invitation to Ambassador Rice, a significant departure from the bipartisan invitations extended to other witnesses. Under these circumstances, Ambassador Rice respectfully declines Senator Graham’s invitation to testify.
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Rice has already stated that she leaked nothing and that she wasn’t the person to make it known that it was Mike Flynn who was under investigation. Republicans have been trying to distract from the real purpose of this investigation by turning the scandal into an Obama plot to spy on Trump.
Susan Rice has nothing to testify about. Her testimony would only waste time and distract from the investigation into Russia’s interference for Trump during the 2016 election. By turning down Graham, Rice denied Republicans their chance to bring back all of their favorite blame Obama conspiracies.
Whether they like it or not, Republicans are going to have to investigate the potential collusion with Russia and legitimacy of Donald Trump’s presidency.
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
