GOP Sens. Ron Johnson
Ronald (Ron) Harold JohnsonJuan Williams: Hypocrisy runs riot in GOP Graham: Trump will 'be helpful' to all Senate GOP incumbents Partisan headwinds threaten Capitol riot commission MORE (Wis.), Chuck Grassley
Chuck GrassleyJudiciary Committee greenlights Garland's AG nomination Grassley to vote against Tanden nomination Grassley says he'll decide this fall whether to run in 2022 MORE (Iowa) and Lindsey Graham
Lindsey Olin GrahamJuan Williams: Hypocrisy runs riot in GOP Portman on Trump's dominance of GOP: Republican Party's policies are 'even more popular' Overnight Defense: Biden sends message with Syria airstrike | US intel points to Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi killing | Pentagon launches civilian-led sexual assault commission MORE (S.C.) are seeking to interview a former Democratic National Committee (DNC) contractor as they step up their investigation into Ukraine and the 2016 election.
Ronald (Ron) Harold JohnsonJuan Williams: Hypocrisy runs riot in GOP Graham: Trump will 'be helpful' to all Senate GOP incumbents Partisan headwinds threaten Capitol riot commission MORE (Wis.), Chuck GrassleyChuck GrassleyJudiciary Committee greenlights Garland's AG nomination Grassley to vote against Tanden nomination Grassley says he'll decide this fall whether to run in 2022 MORE (Iowa) and Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamJuan Williams: Hypocrisy runs riot in GOP Portman on Trump's dominance of GOP: Republican Party's policies are 'even more popular' Overnight Defense: Biden sends message with Syria airstrike | US intel points to Saudi crown prince in Khashoggi killing | Pentagon launches civilian-led sexual assault commission MORE (S.C.) are seeking to interview a former Democratic National Committee (DNC) contractor as they step up their investigation into Ukraine and the 2016 election.ADVERTISEMENT
Johnson added that they want to know if "wrongdoing occurred."
"The sooner we get answers to the many unanswered questions, the sooner we can turn our attention to the many challenges our nation faces,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer
Chuck SchumerFirst Black secretary of Senate sworn in Republican Ohio Senate candidate calls on GOP rep to resign over impeachment vote The bizarre back story of the filibuster MORE (D-N.Y.) blasted Republicans on Friday over the request, arguing they were promoting conspiracy theories supported by Russian President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich PutinUN experts: International investigation into Navalny poisoning needed Views of China, Russia at record lows: Gallup West's 'wokeness' helped Russia to redefine a 'prisoner of conscience' MORE.
Chuck SchumerFirst Black secretary of Senate sworn in Republican Ohio Senate candidate calls on GOP rep to resign over impeachment vote The bizarre back story of the filibuster MORE (D-N.Y.) blasted Republicans on Friday over the request, arguing they were promoting conspiracy theories supported by Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinUN experts: International investigation into Navalny poisoning needed Views of China, Russia at record lows: Gallup West's 'wokeness' helped Russia to redefine a 'prisoner of conscience' MORE.“When Vladimir Putin says stoop, Senate Republicans are asking: how low? Putin and his intelligence services disinformation campaign team in Moscow couldn't have cooked up a more useful tool for spreading conjured and baseless conspiracy theories than the one Chairmen Graham, Grassley and Johnson announced today," Schumer said in a statement.
The request by the three chairmen for an interview marks an escalation of the GOP probes into Ukraine and the 2016 election, which had previously largely been limited to sending letters requesting documents and information. It also signals that Johnson, Grassley and Graham are going to merge their investigative efforts, which had threatened to open up a turf war in the Senate.
The investigation into Ukraine and 2016 comes after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellJudiciary Committee greenlights Garland's AG nomination This week: Senate takes up coronavirus relief after minimum wage setback Juan Williams: Hypocrisy runs riot in GOP MORE (R-Ky.) appeared to hand any investigation on the topic to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellJudiciary Committee greenlights Garland's AG nomination This week: Senate takes up coronavirus relief after minimum wage setback Juan Williams: Hypocrisy runs riot in GOP MORE (R-Ky.) appeared to hand any investigation on the topic to the Senate Intelligence Committee."My view is that is something for the Senate Intelligence Committee to take a look at if they choose to," McConnell told reporters during a weekly press conference.
Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr
Richard Mauze BurrChamber of Commerce labels Biden removal of NLRB general counsel 'extreme' Sasse rebuked by Nebraska Republican Party over impeachment vote Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence MORE (R-N.C.) has not been a part of the Johnson-Grassley-Graham effort. He's also given no public indication that his panel, which conducts almost all of its work behind closed doors, will open up an investigation in the wake of Trump and GOP allies questioning if Kyiv tried to meddle in U.S. elections.
Richard Mauze BurrChamber of Commerce labels Biden removal of NLRB general counsel 'extreme' Sasse rebuked by Nebraska Republican Party over impeachment vote Senators given no timeline on removal of National Guard, Capitol fence MORE (R-N.C.) has not been a part of the Johnson-Grassley-Graham effort. He's also given no public indication that his panel, which conducts almost all of its work behind closed doors, will open up an investigation in the wake of Trump and GOP allies questioning if Kyiv tried to meddle in U.S. elections.Trump and some of his allies have homed in on uncorroborated allegations that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election as they've sought to hit back against the House impeachment inquiry focused on the president's actions toward Ukraine. The intelligence community found that Russia meddled in the 2016 election.
Republicans have pointed to a Politico article in 2017 that claimed that Chalupa, who left the DNC in 2016, continued to research ties between former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort
Paul John ManafortProsecutors drop effort to seize three Manafort properties after Trump pardon FBI offers 0K reward for Russian figure Kilimnik New York court rules Manafort can't be prosecuted by Manhattan DA MORE and former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, including asking Ukrainian Embassy officials for help.
Paul John ManafortProsecutors drop effort to seize three Manafort properties after Trump pardon FBI offers 0K reward for Russian figure Kilimnik New York court rules Manafort can't be prosecuted by Manhattan DA MORE and former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, including asking Ukrainian Embassy officials for help. Politico also reported that Chalupa turned over some of her findings to officials at the DNC and then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonClinton: Allegations against Cuomo 'raise serious questions,' deserve probe Clinton, Pelosi holding online Women's Day fundraiser with Chrissy Teigen, Amanda Gorman Media circles wagons for conspiracy theorist Neera Tanden MORE's campaign. But Chalupa later refuted how her work was framed in the story. Both DNC and former Clinton campaign officials have also reportedly denied receiving information from Chalupa.
Fiona Hill, a former White House Russia expert, also rejected the narrative during a public hearing late last month, telling lawmakers not to "promote politically driven falsehoods that so clearly advance Russian interests."
“And as I told this committee last month, I refuse to be part of an effort to legitimize an alternate narrative that the Ukrainian government is a U.S. adversary, and that Ukraine — not Russia — attacked us in 2016,” she added.
Updated at 7:10 p.m.
