WASHINGTON — The second-ranking Senate Democrat called Monday for an independent commission as well as a special prosecutor to investigate Russian interference in the US election.
Minority whip Richard Durbin, back from a trip to Ukraine and other countries that he said were worried about Russia, said in an interview Monday that an ongoing investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee isn’t sufficient.
“It has to reach a point where we have public sentiment strong enough that we launch an independent, transparent investigation of what the Russians did to us,’’ the Illinois Democrat said. “Think 9/11.’’
Asked Monday by reporters whether there should be a special prosecutor on Russia, President Trump mouthed the word “no’’ to a group of health care executives at a White House meeting with him.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer also rejected the notion of a special prosecutor. “If there’s nothing to further investigate, what are you asking people to investigate?’’ he said at a news briefing.
President Barack Obama in December imposed sanctions on top Russian intelligence officials and agencies in retaliation for cyberattacks aimed at interfering with the 2016 election campaign. US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia was behind the pilfering and release of e-mails to damage the campaign of Hillary Clinton.
Durbin said US allies are asking about Russian influence in the election, adding that one Polish leader in Warsaw told him, “If you don’t take Russia’s invasion into your election seriously, how will you take [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s invasion into Poland? Will you take that seriously?’’
Durbin said former secretary of state Colin Powell, retired Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor or others like them could lead such a commission and get answers.
The Intelligence Committee, which is conducting the major bipartisan congressional inquiry into the issue at this point, isn’t built for public transparency, said Durbin, a former member of the committee.
He said he’s worried about a potential coverup by the White House. “The downfall does not come from the crime, it comes from the coverup, and that’s what we’re dealing with now. We need to know if anyone in the Trump campaign had any direct conversations with someone from Russia,’’ Durbin said.
Durbin said he isn’t personally aware of such contacts. “It’s hard to imagine how some of these leaks could have been so conveniently timed if there wasn’t coordination,’’ he said.
Representative Devin Nunes of California, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, continued Monday to reject calls for a special prosecutor.
But he said his committee is finalizing an expansion of its own inquiry into claims of Russian tampering in the election, and of possible Trump campaign contacts with Russians.
“As of right now, we have no evidence,’’ said Nunes, of reports that three individuals had contacts with Russian agents. “We will continue to ask for evidence, look for evidence. Not only on the three Americans who are named in that story — but also any other American that had any contacts with Russians.’’
But “we can’t have McCarthyism back in this country,’’ he added. “We can’t have the government, the US government — the Congress, the legislative branch of government — chasing down American citizens, hauling them before the Congress as if they are some secret Russian agents.’’
The top Democrat on Nunes’s committee, Adam Schiff of California, said it’s too early to rule out that contacts occurred between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials.
“First of all, we haven’t received any of the evidence yet,’’ said Schiff. “We can’t draw any conclusion, nor should we.’’ Schiff said he “strongly’’ disagreed with Nunes’s comment about McCarthyism.
The Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation was called into question after a Washington Post report Friday that panel chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina contacted reporters at the behest of the White House to try to block stories about contacts between Russia and Trump associates.
