Tuesday on Capitol Hill, while addressing the resignation of Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for “an independent and transparent investigation” of Flynn.
Schumer said, “I hope our Republican colleagues will join us in this call because the crisis here rises above party. Was General Flynn directed or authorized to do what he did? What was the extent of his conversations and contacts withRussiaa? Who else from the Trump administration, transition, or campaign had contact with the Russians? And why wasn’t General Flynn fired as soon as the administration found out? Why did they act only when they were caught misleading the media. These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered. And these questions shouldn’t just apply to General Flynn, but to senior officials in the Trump campaign, transition, and administration. Every one of these questions should be applied to all them as well.”
“There needs to be an independent and transparent investigation because the White House knew for weeks that General Flynn misled the vice president and that his discussions about sanctions with the Russian government could potentially comprise our national security because he was subject to blackmail,” he continued. “And yet they let him stay on for weeks present at and participating in the highest level of national security discussions until those reports were made public. If an investigation is not independent, non-partisan, and most of all transparent, there is no guarantee this administration will take the decisive and immediate actions necessary to keep our country safe. The White House counsel cannot lead this investigation, and the new attorney general cannot — Jeff Sessions cannot be the person to led that investigation.”
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