Former President Barack Obama’s Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson will testify before the House Intelligence Committee next Wednesday as part of the investigation into Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 election, The Hill reports.
The panel’s top lawmakers said earlier this month that they planned on asking former Homeland Security Secretary to testify publicly before the committee. Johnson spoke to lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this week, in a private session.
“I’m here voluntarily to assist the House Intelligence Committee on a matter of great importance. So, I welcome the opportunity to do that to help strengthen our nation’s cybersecurity”, the former DHS secretary said after Tuesday’s meeting with leaders of the House Intelligence Russia investigation.
Johnson will face questions about Russian efforts to breach U.S. election systems. He said in an interview on MSNBC earlier this month that he was not aware of any attempts to change vote counts, though he acknowledged that Russian hackers attempted to interfere with voter registration bases.
The House Intelligence Committee is one of at least four congressional panels looking into Russia’s role in the 2016 election, as well as possible collaboration between President Trump’s campaign and Moscow. Former FBI Director James Comey confirmed in March that the agency was conducting its own investigation into the matter.
Johnson served under President Barack Obama as Homeland Security chief from 2013 until early 2017.
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