Lawmakers are cautious but open to the release of the transcripts of phone calls between former national security advisor Mike Flynn and the Russian ambassador, as long as they do not contain sensitive information.
Flynn resigned Monday after admitting that he had misinformed administration officials about communications with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The resignation triggered bipartisan consensus to fold a probe of the matter into an ongoing congressional investigation on Russian election interference.
Senators expressed interest in the release of the transcripts to THE WEEKLY STANDARD Wednesday, but made clear that a wealth of unanswered questions still surrounds the events that led to Flynn’s resignation.
“I think we should find out what’s in them and then make the decision there,” said Arizona senator John McCain, a leading critic of the Trump administration’s relations with the Kremlin.
Illinois senator Dick Durbin said the transcripts should be released if they do not contain compromising information.
“I would hope ultimately they would be released,” he told reporters. “But who knows what was said and whether there was anything in there that could compromise methods and sources. We’ve got to be careful here.”
Florida senator Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that the committee has already begun its work and that examining the transcripts is of interest.
“That would be part of something that we would be interested in,” he said.
Majority whip John Cornyn, also a member of the Intelligence Committee, said that the transcripts should only be made public if they are unclassified.
“Assuming there is a transcript, it strikes me that that is a foreign intelligence product that we shouldn’t be making public unless it’s been declassified,” he said.
Connecticut senator Chris Murphy said that an independent commission should probe the incident and determine what can be made publicly available.
“I would like an independent commission to be able to vet any information to decide whether it’s suitable for public disclosure,” he said. “I don’t know what’s in those conversations.”
Some Democrats have called for an independent investigation to supplement congressional probes. Others are demanding that Attorney General Jeff Sessions appoint a special counsel for any relevant Justice Department investigation.
After an emergency meeting with Democrats Wednesday, Senate Minority Whip Chuck Schumer reiterated the demand that Sessions recuse himself from any probe related to Flynn’s Russia contacts. He also called for Trump officials, including former campaign manager Paul Manafort, to be available to testify under oath.
Oregon senator Ron Wyden reiterated that request Wednesday.
“What’s important is Mike Flynn, with his hand raised, testifying in an open hearing in the Intelligence Committee,” he told TWS when asked about releasing the phone call transcripts.
