Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

CT lawmakers have roles in ongoing Trump investigations

Mueller may have ended his probe of Trump, but CT Dems have just begun theirs

  • Justice
  • by Ana Radelat
  • March 25, 2019
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

C-Span

President Trump greeting members of Congress after his State of the Union Address.

Washington – While a summary of  Robert Mueller’s report said there is no evidence the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to meddle in U.S. elections, congressional Democrats will continue separate investigations into that subject and others —and Connecticut lawmakers will be in the thick of some of them.

As soon as Democrats seized control of the U.S. House in November’s elections, months before the Justice Department announced the end of Mueller’s 22-month probe Friday, Democrats were working under a Plan B to conduct their own investigations.

Those probes are aimed in part at undermining President Donald Trump going into the 2020 presidential race, just as Republicans sought to undermine Hillary Clinton through a number of congressional investigations before the 2016 elections.

Investigations in the Democratic-controlled House stretch across six committees, including the Judiciary, Intelligence, Financial Services and Oversight Committees. That is likely to  give members of Connecticut’s all-Democratic congressional delegation high-profile roles.

For instance, Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, is a member of both the House Intelligence and Financial Services committees. “The Intelligence Committee will ask ‘are there any outstanding questions about the Russian attacks?’” Himes said.

One of those questions, Himes said, is why former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort shared internal polling data with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian business associate with ties to Russian intelligence.

Himes is part of the Democratic chorus demanding a full release of Mueller’s report, which was summarized with the help of bullet points by Attorney General William Barr over the weekend.

Himes said full disclosure is needed to learn “how people should behave in the face of an investigation,” more specifically, why so many involved in the probe lied about their Russian contacts. He said  Mueller’s investigation looked into criminal activity, but Congress has a broader role. “And that is to fully understand the Russia attack and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Himes said.

While U.S. Attorney General William Barr said Mueller’s report “did not find that the Trump campaign or anyone associated with it conspired or coordinated with Russia in its efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election,” it did not draw a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice during the investigation and “does not exonerate” the president.

Himes said he was “not terribly” surprised at the conclusions of Mueller’s report. “Nobody should have expected a Hollywood blockbuster ending,” he said.

Instead, there will be a drip, drip, drip of congressional hearings, some coupled with Democratic subpoenas, into allegations of public corruption, foreign influence over Trump, presidential abuses of power, Trump’s banking relationships, and efforts to quash embarrassing stories about the president in the National Enquirer.

On Monday, Democrats leading committees that are investigating the president wrote Barr demanding full release of the Mueller report by April 2.

“Your March 24 letter concerning special counsel Robert Mueller’s report leaves open many questions concerning the conduct of the president and his closest advisers, as well as the Russian government during the 2016 elections,” they wrote.

The Democratic chairman also said “the release of the full report and the underlying documents and evidence is urgently needed by our committees to perform their duties under the Constitution.”

A ‘rock-solid case’ for Trump’s tax returns

Rep. John Larson, D-1st District, is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee who is seeking a copy of Trump’s tax returns.

The Ways and Means Committee, headed by Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass, has oversight of the Treasury Department and is relying on a 1924 law that gives chairmen of House and Senate tax-writing committees broad authority to demand the tax returns of White House officials.

“Chairman Neal and his legal team are being very thorough in building a rock-solid case when requesting the president’s tax returns,” Larson said. ”I fully support and trust his leadership and efforts on this.”

Democrats on the panel say they want Trump’s tax returns to make sure the president has no conflicts of interest when it comes to trade or tax policy.

Meanwhile, Republicans say new investigations needed into exactly why and how the probe that led to the appointment of Mueller as special counsel got started – probes that are intended to focus on allegations of bias at the FBI and Justice Department.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, initially tweeted that the summary of Mueller’s investigation indicated there was no more need  to look into the special counsel’s full report. But on Monday Graham said he planned to invite Barr to testify in front of his panel. That happened the day after House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., invited Barr to testify before his committee.

“What’s next I hope is that [Attorney General Barr] will come to the committee, release as much as possible of the Mueller report,” Graham said during a press conference. “My desire is for the public to get as much of the report as possible.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the panel must have Mueller’s full report in hand before Barr testifies.

“Before he appears, we need to have the document, the evidence and the facts,” Blumenthal said. “Even a garden variety deposition in a civil case needs to have documents.”

The House has voted, 402-0, on a non-binding resolution asking for the full release of the Mueller report.

Blumenthal, and Sen Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, have introduced a bill  in the Senate that would mandate release of that report, but the Judiciary Committee has not acted on the legislation.

Blumenthal said there is bipartisan support for the release of the Mueller report,  “but if they want transparency, they should back my bill.”

Trump said Mueller’s investigation has exonerated him.

“No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT!,” he tweeted

While the president’s tweet may not be accurate, Barr’s summary of Mueller’s findings makes impeachment much less likely.

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had already tamped down the chances the House would impeach the president, telling the Washington Post “unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path, because it divides the country.”

“Nobody is talking about impeachment right now,” Himes said.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ana Radelat Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Few tenants facing eviction have an attorney. Top lawmakers are poised to change that.
by Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

Legislation that would provide tenants facing eviction the "right to counsel" is a top priority for legislative leaders.

With billions in federal relief on the way to CT, legislators assert their role in deciding how to spend it
by Keith M. Phaneuf and Mark Pazniokas

With an unusual bill, state legislators are reminding Gov. Ned Lamont they have significant role in disbursing federal coronavirus relief.

Rep. Patricia Billie Miller wins vacant Senate seat
by Mark Pazniokas

Rep. Patricia Billie Miller, D-Stamford, won a special election to the state Senate.

Final passage of ‘Crown Act’ comes on unanimous vote
by Mark Pazniokas

With a unanimous vote, Connecticut became the latest state to adopt legislation prohibiting discrimination based on hairstyles associated with race.

Senate confirms Miguel Cardona as U.S. Secretary of Education
by Adria Watson

Cardona was the youngest principal in the state of Connecticut.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion The public health bill no one is talking about, but should be
by Brian Festa

On February 16,  the legislature's Public Health Committee conducted a public hearing on two bills, S.B. 568 and H.B. 6423, both of which would eliminate the religious exemption to mandatory vaccinations for Connecticut schoolchildren.  The hearing was capped at 24 hours, depriving nearly 1,500 members of the public who had registered for the hearing their opportunity to be heard.  The vast majority of those who did testify, and who submitted written testimony, opposed the bill.  The committee is expected to vote on the bill as early as  today. 

Opinion Students need more resources, fewer officers
by Tenille Bonilla

"School resource officer" is just a nice way to say cop. But what students really need is more resource and less officer.

Opinion The Board of Regents’ changes must not shortchange its students or faculty
by Carrie Andreoletti, PhD

As a university professor and a lifespan developmental psychologist, I tend to approach my work from a developmental perspective. This means I aim to foster a lifelong love of learning and to help others find a sense of meaning and purpose, as well as confidence in their ability to reach their goals. My approach to higher education is shaped by my desire to provide the best possible education for my students. This is why the recent Board of Regents’ proposed changes at the four state universities have me worried.

Opinion How to close schooling opportunity gaps created by the pandemic
by Carol Gale

We ask school district leaders to trust your public servants whose daily work life involves assessing student needs and planning or modifying instruction to meet those needs. Listen to their voices, as we have, and allocate precious resources on interventions that will offer increased opportunities for Hartford students to succeed.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO