WASHINGTON (WCMH) — Despite a continuing public health crisis and violent riots across the country, Senate Republicans dove back into Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and called on one of it’s key figures to testify.
Former deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein told senators he made the right call putting Muller in charge of investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“I decided that appointing a special counsel was the best way to complete the investigation appropriately,” Rosenstein said.
Wednesday’s hearing, led by South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, was part of a GOP effort to review the FBI’s Russia investigation.
“We’re here to try to find out who knew what, when,” Graham said.
A recent inspector general report found some FBI agents didn’t follow department policies when they sought secret warrants to investigate contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia.
“Those investigative reviews revealed the FBI was not following those protocols,” Rosenstein said.
North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis said that’s reason enough for senators to investigate.
“It’s why this hearing, it’s why the subpoenas and why this investigation needs to go forward,” Tillis said.
But Democrats, like Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, say Republicans should instead be focused on the coronavirus or racial protests.
“Instead, we’re taking up the Mueller report . . .why?” Durbin asked. “We’re taking it up because it’s become a bloody shirt on the right.”
Others, like California Senator Diane Feinstein defended Mueller’s findings.
“Mueller’s investigation revealed quote ‘sweeping and systematic’ end quote interference by Russia in the 2016 election,” Feinstein said.
More hearings by Senate Republicans are expected in the coming weeks.
