For the longest time it seemed as if Republicans were merely going to ignore the obvious connections between the Trump administration and the Russian government, but the scandal is starting to gain more attention as it becomes increasingly clear that something amiss has occurred. Congress has finally been forced to acknowledge that something isn’t quite right with the events that have led up to this situation existing as it does, and they have called for an investigation into the administration through a third party.
The agreement was finally reached when the House Intelligence Committee came to an understanding based on pressure from the Democratic portion of the group. The bipartisan agreement came as a surprise to many staunch Republicans who have followed Trump blindly, but it is a welcome surprise for those who clearly see Trump and his team for what they truly are. Not only have the Democrats been quite vocal about the need for an investigation, but growing pressure from Republican constituents might have tipped the scales.
Representative Darrel Issa of California was the first Republican in the House to demand that a special prosecutor be appointed to deal with the Russian scandal, and as continuing news coverage of the connections between Trump’s team and the Russian government reaches the public spotlight, more and more Republicans are starting to see the truth of the matter. Many of the most shameful facts surrounding the scandal have forced Republicans to admit that something must be done.
The Chair of the Republican Intelligence Committee, a Californian named Devin Nunes, was once part of the transition team that brought Trump to the White House, and he was one of the most vocal opponents of any sort of formal inquiry. However, other Republicans on the committee finally swayed the decision, and they have since released a statement that describes what they hope to accomplish. The gist of the statement points toward their desire to find any connection between the Russians and the current administration while also focusing on whether or not the Russians attempted to influence the election in any way.
It was recently revealed by the New York Times that the previous administration under Obama had gone to amazing lengths to guarantee the survival of every piece of evidence they collected regarding the connection between the Russians and Trump’s campaign. The goal of that administration was to disseminate and preserve as much of that evidence as possible before Trump was inaugurated, and all communications to and from the White House are being preserved by White House lawyers trying to save evidence related to the many investigations currently targeting the Trump administration.
The FBI is currently investigating Trump and his team, yet the new attorney general, Jeff Sessions, oversees that bureau. Sessions has also had his credibility called into question recently when it was revealed that he lied under oath about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. Representative Elijah Cummings of Maryland called for Sessions to resign from the role over the FBI since it was a clear conflict of interests. Other Democrats are calling for Sessions to resign altogether since it is now clear he perjured himself during his confirmation hearing.
Michael Flynn was the first high-ranking official to resign as a result of his attempt to hide connections with the Russian government. However, Flynn was not under oath at the time of his statements, so those made by Sessions should be even more worrisome. Not only that, but after Flynn resigned, Sessions did nothing to correct his crime. He merely allowed the Trump administration to continue thinking he had no connections with the Russians, and Trump even went so far as to tell the entire American populace that he had no doubt that his team was not and had not communicated with the Russians.