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King, Collins Forge Ahead on Russia Probe Amid Reports of White House Interference

Maine’s two U.S. senators are expressing concerns about reports that officials in the Trump administration attempted to enlist senior intelligence officials and members of Congress to push back against news reports focusing on President Donald Trump associates’ links to Russia.

At issue is whether the contact between the Trump administration and key lawmakers could compromise what is supposed to be an impartial investigation into Russian interference in the election, and allegations that Trump campaign associates interacted with Russian operatives.

Some Democrats have called for an independent inquiry, arguing that the congressional probes could be derailed by partisan interests. Maine’s two U.S. senators, independent Angus King and Republican Susan Collins, who both serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee, had previously expressed confidence in the impartiality of the Senate inquiry, arguing that it will be thorough, nonpartisan and faster than one conducted by an independent panel.

But the Washington Post report could affect that confidence. It showed that the Trump White House had enlisted U.S. intelligence officials and Republicans leading two separate probes into the Russia affair to knock down news reports about intercepted conversations between Trump associates and Russian operatives.

And that’s a problem, King says.

“If the Senate Intelligence Committee is going to issue a report that’s accepted by the American people, people have to have confidence in it and they have to believe that it’s bipartisan and uninfluenced by the White House, or anyone else, for that matter,” he says.

Collins also expressed concern, saying in a written statement that the Intelligence Committee should avoid actions that “might be perceived as compromising the integrity of our work.”

King says he has not yet spoken to Sen. Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican who chairs the Intelligence Committee. Burr has acknowledged that he had conversations with the White House about the veracity of the news reports in question.

Burr told the Washington Post that he believed his discussions with the White House are appropriate. Republican U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, sided with Burr when confronted by reporters on Monday.

Nunes said the White House was simply trying to get its side of the story to the press.

“So here you have the White House trying to communicate with many of you, and trying to communicate with the Congress about what they’re doing. And now suddenly that’s wrong. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Nunes said.

King isn’t buying Nunes’ reasoning.

“To say it’s no big deal to be in touch with the White House when indeed part of the investigation involves this president, to me, just doesn’t make sense,” he says.

Nunes also told reporters that he has not seen any evidence of inappropriate
communications between Trump aides and Russia. King, who has been briefed by the same intelligence officials, was asked if he agreed with Nunes.

“Well here’s the difference between him and I. I’m not going to answer that question. I don’t think it’s appropriate to be talking in any way about information that we’ve seen as part of this investigation until we’ve seen it all,” King says.

The FBI is also investigating the Russia controversy. Several lawmakers, including prominent Republicans, have said that Attorney General Jeff Sessions should recuse himself if the FBI probe yields prosecutable offenses. And King agrees, based on the fact that Sessions and his deputies are appointed by President Trump.

Collins could not be reached for an interview, but did issue a statement that did not address the call for a special prosecutor. She and King both expressed concerns about White House contacts with key lawmakers. But they also both appear to still believe that the Senate probe is the appropriate way forward, at least for now.

Journalist Steve Mistler is Maine Public’s chief politics and government correspondent. He is based at the State House.