Republicans shoot down Rep. Jeffries’ resolution to investigate Trump’s ties to Russia

March 30, 2017 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

House Judiciary Committee Republicans voted down a resolution introduced by U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries seeking an investigation of the Trump administration’s ties to Russia. Video grab courtesy of the office of U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries

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Despite a plea for bipartisanship by Brooklyn Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Jerrold Nadler, Republicans in the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday voted down a resolution demanding an investigation into communications between President Donald Trump, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Trump campaign officials with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his agents. The vote was 15 to 11 along party lines.

The resolution was sponsored by Jeffries and Rep. Ted Lieu, a Democrat from California.

“Russian interference in our election, possibly aided and abetted by the Trump campaign, is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue, it’s an American issue,” Jeffries said a hearing before the vote.

“We need honesty here … so the American people can be assured that there is not a cancer at the heart of the administration,” Nadler told the committee. Nadler introduced a similar Resolution of Inquiry in February. This resolution was also shot down.

Lieu said that there is no greater issue facing our nation “than to find out of there was collusion last year between the Trump campaign and Russia. At stake is the legitimacy of the current administration.”

Committee chairman Republican Bob Goodlatte dismissed their arguments, however.

“I do not see any point to this resolution other than as a fishing expedition for political purposes,” he said.

A similar investigation in the House Intelligence Committee also appears to have collapsed, with chairman Republican Devin Nunes under fire over unexplained White House briefings about material not shared with the committee.

The situation is different in the Senate Intelligence Committee, where on Wednesday the Republican chairman pledged a fair and thorough investigation into the administration’s alleged collusion with Russian intelligence.