Republicans have been accused by the Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee of closing the investigation into Russian interference despite what they say to be “significant evidence” of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
“There is significant evidence and much of it in the public domain on the issue of collusion,” Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the committee, said on Tuesday during a press conference flanked by other Democrats on the panel.
Schiff blamed House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes as well as the majority of the party for shutting the investigation that he says has yet to interview key witnesses or obtain relevant documents.
“Sadly, from a very early point in the investigation, the chairman made the decision that his mission was not to find out what Russia did, not to determine the role of U.S. persons, but rather to endeavor to distract the public, to put the government on trial,” Schiff said.
According to The Hill, Schiff also accused the Republicans of setting a dangerous precedent that could kneecap future committees’ efforts to get witnesses from the executive branch.
Meanwhile, other Democrats also voiced concerns over how those inquiries may go given the decision to end the current probe.
Representative Jim Himes stated that the Republicans created a “lasting damage” for all other congressional committees by failing to hold witnesses who declined to answer certain questions accountable, affording them “historically broad and unprecedented exemptions” in their questioning.
Representative Eric Swalwell warned that the Republicans’ decision to end the probe sends a signal to Russia and other countries that they can continue interfering in U.S. affairs.
The Hill reports that the backlash from Democrats comes after Texas Representative Mike Conaway, the senior Republican leading the Russia probe, announced on Monday that the committee had concluded the interview portion of their investigation and would be moving on to writing a report of their findings.
A draft copy of the GOP report denied any findings of collusion.
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