House Intelligence Committee will investigate whether Russia has leverage over Trump

Rep. Adam Schiff.
(Image credit: Aaron P. Bernstein / Getty Images)

In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Trump warned Democrats against investigating him, suggesting doing so could harm the economy. The House Intelligence Committee clearly is not fazed.

The committee on Wednesday re-opened the Russia investigation that previously came to a close under Republican leadership, with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) outlining its scope. The inquiry will look into Russia's interference in the 2016 election and contact between the Trump campaign and Russia, as the old one did. But in addition, Schiff says it will now examine "any credible allegation that financial interests or other interests are driving decision-making of the President or anyone in the administration," per CNN. This, Schiff adds, "includes credible allegations of leverage by the Russians or the Saudis or anyone else."

Schiff also criticized the previous investigation as led by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), saying that it "began to pursue credible reports of money laundering and financial compromise" but that "these and numerous other avenues of inquiry were not completed," per Talking Points Memo. The committee additionally voted Wednesday to provide Special Counsel Robert Mueller with transcripts of interviews it has conducted, The New York Times reports while pointing out that previous transcripts have resulted in charges of lying to Congress.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Trump lashed out against Schiff in response to the committee's actions Wednesday, first saying he has "never heard of" Schiff and then dismissing him as a "political hack" while complaining of "presidential harassment." Schiff responded, "We are not going to be intimidated by his vulgar threats."

To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.