During an interview on CNN’s State Of The Union, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, confirmed that Congress is investigating Trump for seeking business in Russia during the 2016 election.
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Rep. Schiff said, “I think it’s very significant. We had requested documents from Mr. Cohen, and not being satisfied, we subpoenaed Mr. Cohen for whatever records were relevant to our investigation. It means, among other things, the President was dishonest when he said during the campaign that he had no business in Russia, was pursuing no business in Russia, so yet another misleading statement by the Administration about their relationship with Russia. It’s also significant because if they were pursuing business in Russia during the campaign that might have influenced the positions the candidate took in a more pro-Russia direction. After all, if they were going to be criticizing Putin, criticizing Russia, that would diminish the chances that this deal would go through. We obviously want to get to the bottom of it, and we expect at some point, we’ll have Mr. Cohen come in and testify. We’ll also expect Mr. Sater to come in and testify so we can understand this more fully.”
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As soon as Trump and his lawyers warned investigators not to look into the family business dealings, every single investigator began doing exactly that. The money is the connection which the Trump/Russia relationship was built on. After his third bankruptcy, US banks would no longer lend to him, so Trump funded projects like his golf courses with Russian cash. Trump has lived his entire life to make money, so it should be a surprise to no one that money will be at the heart of the Russia scandal.
The Russia investigation isn’t taking a holiday. It is a complicated scandal with dozens of potential threads. It will take time for both Congressional investigators and Special Counsel Robert Mueller to connect the dots, but there is a pattern taking shape where it is possible that Trump obstructed justice, because election collusion may only be a byproduct of the financial crimes at the heart of the Russia scandal.
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
