Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., is pressing the head of the Justice Committee to subpoena, if necessary, two top intelligence officials after their public testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee this week.
In a letter sent Friday to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Feinstein said she was “concerned by the refusal of DNI Director Coats and NSA Director Admiral Rogers to answer questions posed by Senators” during a hearing on Wednesday.
Feinstein is among several Democrats who are frustrated with Dan Coats and Michael Rogers for refusing to discuss their private conversations with Trump in a public setting. “Well, I think your unwillingness to answer a very basic question speaks volumes,” said Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., at one point.
Coats and Rogers did, however, reject reports that they were pressured by Trump to step in and persuade then-FBI Director James Comey to lay off the investigation into Russia’s influence into the 2016 election. The following day, former FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee he was fired because of the Russia probe, which according to Feinstein raises concerns of obstruction of justice.
“As a member of both the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, I see firsthand the distinction between the legal and counterintelligence aspects presented by Director Comey’s testimony this week,” Feinstein wrote. “It is my strong recommendation that the Judiciary Committee investigate all issues that raise a question of obstruction of justice. These issues should be developed by our legal staff, presented to us, and be subject to full Committee hearings.”
Feinstein said she would also like to hear from other officials brought up during Comey’s testimony about his private conversations with Trump. Among those named by Comey were Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
In cases where cooperation is hard to come by, Feinstein said, she is “supportive” of issuing subpoenas.
The Judiciary Committee is conducting its own probe into Russian interference, along with those of other congressional panels and a federal investigation now being led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
