Rep. Kevin Brady wants Congress to delve into the controversies of the Trump administration in a fair investigation, despite some Republicans seeming hesitant about doing so.
Brady, R-Texas, said on CNN he believes in the congressional intelligence committees to get to the bottom of retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn’s resignation as national security adviser. Flynn got in hot water regarding his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States leading up to the inauguration and stepped down after media reports indicated he didn’t tell the full truth about the talks.
“I want to get to the facts on this,” Brady said. “I want to know what happened. I want to know why Michael Flynn misled the vice president. I want to know if there were any untoward conversations that led to this erosion of trust.”
Brady said he didn’t feel the same way as some of his colleagues who think the situation is resolving itself, as House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Jason Chaffetz said, or that it’s not a worthwhile use of time to investigate a Republican president, as Sen. Rand Paul said.
“I do think Congress should exercise its oversight role regardless of who’s in the White House,” he said.
But Brady said it must be done outside of the politicized realm of cable TV news and partisan attacks.
The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee said the intelligence committees are full of smart lawmakers and have strong bipartisan relationships, and he trusts those committees to do a thorough job. If something else is needed, such as a special committee or an independent non-partisan commission, those steps should be evaluated after the intelligence committees do their work.
“We should focus on the facts, let’s find out exactly what occurred,” he said. “I think this is a serious issue … but before we light the forest fire, let’s found out what really happened in those conversations.”
