The House Intelligence Committee has agreed on parameters of its investigation of alleged Russian meddling into the 2016 presidential election. Without naming President Donald Trump in its announcement, the panel said it would look into “links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns or any other U.S. Persons.”
House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes (R) and ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D), both of California, agreed on the terms of the investigation, according to an announcement Wednesday evening.
The statement listed four queries:
“What Russian cyber activity and other active measures were directed against the United States and its allies?”
“Did the Russian active measures include links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns or any other U.S. Persons?”
“What was the U.S. Government’s response to these Russian active measures and what do we need to do to protect ourselves and our allies in the future?”
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“What possible leaks of classified information took place related to the Intelligence Community Assessment of these matters?”
The committee’s probe will consist of interviews, witness testimony, and a “review all reporting underlying the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) ‘Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections,’” the announcement said.
Earlier Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that the Trump administration and staff had been instructed by White House attorneys to maintain records that could be relevant to such an investigation.
US media reports of Trump links to Russian intelligence ‘laughable, cite no facts’ – Kremlin
The US intelligence community has assessed that Russia conducted cyber operations to benefit Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Russia has denied accusations of meddling in the 2016 US election, and the Trump administration and campaign has done the same against allegations it had ties to Russia.
