House Intelligence Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) responded to the indictments of 13 Russians for election interference by making it clear that a bigger investigation of Trump could be on the horizon.
In a statement provided to PoliticusUSA, Rep. Schiff said:
Today’s indictment by Special Counsel Mueller is a significant step forward in exposing Russia’s political and electoral interference in our democracy and holding Russia, and its agents, accountable. The indictment spells out in exhaustive detail the breadth and systematic nature of Russia’s conspiracy, dating back to 2014, as well as the multiple ways in which Russian actors misused online platforms to carry out their clandestine operations.
The indictment reaffirms what our Intelligence Community concluded, what our Committee’s investigation has borne out, and what President Trump denies: that Russia interfered in our election in an effort to assist his presidential campaign and harm Hillary Clinton’s campaign. The indictment’s charges are also consistent with the Committee’s specific findings about Russia’s stealth exploitation of social media networks, which the Committee highlighted for the American public in its open hearing and will continue to expose in the weeks to come. The indictment outlines the great lengths to which Russian nationals working for Yevgeniy Prigozhin, a close associate of Russian President Putin, gathered intelligence as early as 2014, within the U.S. and about Americans, to carry out their covert operation.
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Importantly, the indictment sets out some of the U.S laws violated by the Russians, including various conspiracy counts. While it does not include an allegation that any U.S. persons conspired wittingly with the Russian actors, the indictment leaves open the vital question of whether Americans, including any associated with the Trump campaign, knowingly played a role in Russia’s active measures campaign.
It is Schiff’s last sentence that should have the White House worried. If Adam Schiff becomes the next chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, he is going to allow the committee to do what Devin Nunes has not. The House Intelligence Committee will launch a full investigation of Donald Trump. There is potential for a Democratic House to pick up on whatever the Special Counsel investigation finds.
If Democrats win back the House, Trump could be in for years of investigations.
The stage is being set. All Democrats need is for voters to give control of the House in November.
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
