The call for a congressional investigation into Russia’s possible interference in the U.S. election is coming from both sides of Capitol Hill.
Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Elijah Cummings, D-Md., on Wednesday introduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act, which would create an independent, bicameral, bipartisan commission to study the intelligence community’s determination that Russia was behind the hacks into the emails of the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign manager John Podesta.
The commission would have 18 months to issue recommendations to Congress about what actions to take to protect American political entities and voters. It would also have subpoena power, but only if a majority of commissioners approve or if the chairman and vice chairman—who would be of opposing parties—agree.
An aide to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tells the Washington Examiner the senator “supports a full overview of the US-Russia relationship,” including allegations of war crimes committed by Russia and its aggression toward Ukraine.
Shortly after November’s elections, Graham said the GOP cannot “let allegations against a foreign government interfering in our election process go unanswered because it may have been beneficial to our cause.” A major obstacle to such a commission or congressional inquiry could be President-elect Trump.
“I don’t believe they interfered,” Trump told Time magazine in an interview published Wednesday. “That became a laughing point, not a talking point, a laughing point. Any time I do something, they say ‘oh, Russia interfered,'” he said. “It could be Russia. And it could be China. And it could be some guy in his home in New Jersey.”
During the campaign, Trump repeatedly said he does not believe the intelligence community’s conclusion.
That Russia was behind the attacks is “indisputable,” Swalwell said on Wednesday.
“He is denying that the sun sets in the west,” added Swalwell, who is the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee’s CIA subcommittee.
“That’s troubling,” chimed in Cummings, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s ranking member.
The U.S. cannot let the incident go unanswered, they argue.
“It would be congressional malpractice if we did not look into this,” Cummings said. “We can’t afford for this to become normal.”
Cummings, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and several other top Democrats on Tuesday wrote President Obama asking for an administration briefing on Russia’s electoral interference for all lawmakers.
To date, only some lawmakers, such as those on the intelligence panels like Swalwell, have received a full accounting of the intelligence community’s findings.
Sean Langille contributed to this report
