Mitch Perry
Boca Raton based Congressman Ted Deutch is the latest Democrat from the Florida delegation to call for a deeper look into the alleged ties between President Trump and government officials in Russia.
During Thursday’s House Foreign Affairs Committee, Deutch, who is the ranking member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, urged for an independent, bipartisan investigation into President Trump’s ties to Russia, including his administration, his campaign, and his family’s business ties. That’s despite the fact that the committee’s meeting was titled,”Undermining Democratic Institutions and Splintering NATO: Russian Disinformation Aims.”
“Today’s hearing is on an important topic, and our panelists have an important view,” he began his prepared remarks. “But this hearing will not give the American people the investigation that they deserve. Seventeen American intelligence agencies concluded that Russia executed a cyber-attack against the United States. They concluded that the attack was designed to influence the outcome of the election. They concluded that the attack was intended to benefit Donald Trump’s campaign. How can we proceed with a hearing on Russia’s involvement in Europe while ignoring the unresolved questions around this attack? What credibility do we have?”
Deutch said the only way to answer these questions is with an independent commission and a special prosecutor to “do the job that the Attorney General is unable to do,” referring to the fact that Jeff Sessions has recused himself from that task, after it was reported last week that he twice met with the Russian Ambassador to the U.S., but failed to disclose that information during his Senate confirmation hearing in January.
Tampa area Democratic Representative Kathy Castor has called for an independent prosecutor to examine Trump’s ties to Russia, while St. Petersburg Representative Charlie Crist has called for a “9-11” style commission. Dutch is asking for both.
