House Democrats may issue a 'minority report' detailing how Republicans impeded the Russia investigation


House Democrats are considering publishing a "minority report" on the efforts of House Republicans to slow down the House's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. Democrats in the lower chamber of Congress are frustrated by what they believe is a concerted effort to stymie their attempts to examine certain documents and bring in people of interest for interviews, the Post reports.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told the Post that the Democrats would compile a document that at least in part claims the committee was unable to fully explore potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia because of Republican roadblocking. "It would be a tragedy if the report has a minority section that says, 'Look, we wanted to talk to these two dozen witnesses and weren't able to do so,'" Himes said.
The two witnesses that are of most interest to the Democrats are Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son. But House Republicans have been reluctant to bring them in for a second round of questioning, despite multiple requests from the minority to do so, Himes told the Post.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
If the Democrats do get to question Sessions and Trump Jr. — which the Post notes is still "unlikely" — they'd reportedly ask the men to clarify what they knew about any existing opposition research Russia had compiled on Hillary Clinton, then the Democratic presidential rival to Donald Trump. For their part, several House Republicans have claimed that their Democratic counterparts are overstepping the boundaries of the investigation: Last week, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) quipped that the list of interviewees assembled by the Democrats includes "pretty much any character in any Dostoevsky or Tolstoy novel."
Read the full story at The Washington Post.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kelly O'Meara Morales is a staff writer at The Week. He graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and studied Middle Eastern history and nonfiction writing amongst other esoteric subjects. When not compulsively checking Twitter, he writes and records music, subsists on tacos, and watches basketball.
-
Why are Trump's health rumors about more than just presidential fitness?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Extended absences and unexplained bruises have raised concerns about both his well-being and his administration's transparency
-
Earth's seasons have gone wackadoodle
Under the radar It may have impacted biodiversity and evolution
-
How much does it cost to move? Here's how to budget and save.
the explainer Factors like move distance and the weight of your furnishings can affect the total cost — but there are several ways to economize
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
-
Florida aims to end all state vaccine requirements
Speed Read Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to cut vaccine access and install anti-vaccine activists at the FDA and CDC
-
US kills 11 on 'drug-carrying boat' off Venezuela
Speed Read Trump claimed those killed in the strike were 'positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists' shipping drugs to the US
-
Trump vows to send federal forces to Chicago, Baltimore
Speed Read The announcement followed a California judge ruling that Trump's LA troop deployment was illegal