The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has reportedly asked more than a dozen organizations, agencies and individuals to preserve all materials related to the probe into Russian interference in the election, including any Trump administration contact with Russian officials.
The bipartisan leaders of the committee sent out formal letters late last week asking the White House, Justice Department and FBI to confirm that they are preserving all documentation that shows any contact between Trump administration, campaign or transition team officials and the Russian government, according to an Associated Press report.
The intelligence panels on Capitol Hill have been investigating Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, a probe that is likely to expand to include the resignation of former national security adviser Mike Flynn over phone calls with Russian officials ahead of Trump’s inauguration.
While some Democrats have called for an independent investigation into Flynn’s phone calls regarding sanctions, most Republicans believe it can just be folded into the broader election inquiry.
There is no evidence that materials that may be useful in the investigation are being destroyed, but Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor Thursday that he had “real concern” that the administration might try to hide or get rid of useful documents.
“There is real concern that some in the administration may try to cover up its ties to Russia by deleting emails, texts and other records that could shine a light on those connections. These records are likely to be the subject of executive branch as well as congressional investigations and must be preserved,” he said.
