World

White House: US Intel Community to Brief Republicans on Russiagate

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation will provide a highly anticipated briefing on the handling of the Russia investigation to Republican members of Congress on Thursday, White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Tuesday.
Sputnik

"It is scheduled to take place on Thursday of this week. The individuals that are expected to attend are Chairman [Devin] Nunes, Chairman [Trey] Gowdy, FBI Director [Christopher] Wray, DNI [Director of National Intelligence] Director [Dan] Coats, and DOJ official Ed O’Callaghan. No one from the White House will attend," Sanders said during a White House press briefing.

Sanders said Democrats would not attend the meeting because they have not requested the information Congressmen Nunes and Gowdy want to see.

Mueller’s Questions Show Russiagate Probe ‘More Like a Fishing Expedition’
The two Republican lawmakers have demanded information on how the FBI allegedly planted a source inside Trump's campaign for political purposes.

On Monday, Trump ordered White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to set up the meeting so Congress could get access to highly classified information, including details on a how an FBI informant allegedly spied on President Donald Trump's campaign team.

Trump demanded over the weekend that the Justice Department investigate whether the FBI infiltrated his campaign. His demand came after reports that the FBI's investigation of alleged links between Trump and the Kremlin relied partly on informants who were connected with the campaign.

US Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, as well as accusations of collusion between Trump and Moscow, which both Russia and the US leader have repeatedly denied. Trump has repeatedly criticized the Russia investigation, calling it a "witch hunt."

Discuss