Ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, on Tuesday said he expects Carter Page, the former national security adviser to Donald Trump’s campaign, to be called to testify about its investigation of Russia’s interference in the U.S. election.
“He’s certainly a person of interest, and I think at the appropriate time, we are going to want him to come before the committee,” Schiff told MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes.
Page was first exposed in February as one of four Trump campaign members who had contact with Russia during the election.
Page is a former Merrill Lynch investment banker who has stated he spent three years in Moscow arranging energy deals. Trump’s campaign team granted permission for Page to visit Moscow last July where he delivered a speech criticizing U.S. sanctions against Russia.
During his trip to Russia last summer, Page stayed for three days and met with scholars and professors following his graduation speech.
Page added that he was not aware of having spoken to any Russian intelligence officials, but that it was “possible” he could have spoken to a Russian military veteran but did not know it at the time.
The former campaign member left the team in September after it became public that he had given a speech in Moscow that went against current U.S. foreign policy.
Later in February, Page and J.D. Gordon, both staffers on Trump’s national security advisory committee, said they had spoken with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at a diplomacy conference in Cleveland.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has asked Page to hold onto all material related to his trip to Russia as the committee investigates whether Russia, whose spies allegedly hacked Democratic officials’ emails during the election, had colluded with Trump’s campaign.
