Skip to content Skip to footer

Trump Pressured Top Republicans to End Senate Intel Committee Russia Probe

Could this be evidence the president committed obstruction of justice?

Donald Trump speaks about the Republican tax plan at the St. Charles, Missouri, Convention Center on November 29, 2017. (Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP / Getty Images)

A startling Thursday night report from the New York Times outlines how President Donald Trump tried to pressure top Republican lawmakers in the US Senate to end the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russia.

“It was something along the lines of, ‘I hope you can conclude this as quickly as possible,’” Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), the committee’s chairman, said to the Times.

Trump reportedly called Burr’s congressional colleagues to secure assistance in pushing Burr to end the investigation. The president also urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) to “swiftly” bring the probe to an end.

An unnamed Republican lawmaker says Trump called him to suggest he investigate Hillary Clinton and her ties to Fusion GPS, which had a role in compiling the dossier on Trump.

White House spokesperson Raj Shah said Trump “at no point has attempted to apply undue influence on committee members.”

But Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), a former chairwoman of the intelligence committee, said Trump’s behavior is a breach of the separation of powers.

“It is pressure that should never be brought to bear by an official when the legislative branch is in the process of an investigation,” she said.

Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources?

So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.

If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.