Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy said Sunday the House Intelligence Committee’s report on Russian meddling in the election should not be seen as vindication for President Trump over collusion claims because special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation is ongoing.
Gowdy, R-S.C., said on CBS’ “Face The Nation” he wanted to be very careful with claims of vindication for Trump when it comes to accusations of collusion with Russia in the 2016 election.
“The best we can do is say what we’ve learned. I can’t say what’s in the universe of witnesses we have not talked to,” Gowdy said. “And I have always maintained I am awaiting the Mueller investigation. They get to use a grand jury. They have investigative tools that we don’t have. Executive branch investigations are better than congressional ones.”
“So we found no evidence of collusion. Whether or not it exists or not, I can’t speak to, because I haven’t interviewed the full panoply of witnesses.”
Gowdy said the political nature of congressional investigations, and the fact that the investigators often come into them seeking to reach a certain conclusion, means Mueller’s probe should be run better.
“I have more confidence than executive branch investigations than I do congressional. I wouldn’t say it’s a wreck,” he said when asked about the House Intelligence investigation.
“The witnesses we talked to no one said they had any evidence of collusion. And I participated in almost every one of those interviews and I’m the one who asked the questions. So from the standpoint of where these matters are best investigated. I don’t think it’s in congress right now for a myriad of reasons, one of which is when you start with a conclusion, which Adam Schiff did in March of 2017.”
