Senate Intel Committee unanimously takes huge step in accelerating Trump-Russia investigation
If anyone feared that the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller in Donald Trump’s Russia scandal might cause the Senate Intelligence Committee to slow down or back off its own concurrent investigation into the scandal, it turns out the opposite is happening instead. In fact the committee just unanimously took a huge step in accelerating the pace of its own investigation.
The Senate Intel Committee has now voted unanimously on a bipartisan basis to grant blanket subpoena power to its two principal members, Chairman Richard Burr and ranking member Mark Warner (source: The Hill). This may have been in response to Michael Flynn having thumbed his nose at the Senate Intel Committee by invoking the Fifth Amendment to avoid testifying and to avoid turning over the documents that the committee had tried to subpoena.
This means that Warner and Burr can now decide to jointly issue any any subpoenas they feel appropriate in the Trump-Russia investigation without having to go back and hold a full vote from their committee each time. This comes shortly after the committee issued two subpoenas to Michael Flynn’s businesses, which can’t invoke the Fifth Amendment. And it points to the committee expecting a whole slew of more subpoenas coming down the pike.
That should serve as good news for those who have felt that the Senate probe had been moving too slowly. Earlier this month there were widespread reports that Warner had grown frustrated with Burr’s refusal to sign off on key paperwork, which was slowing things down. But since that dust-up, it appears Burr has fallen in line. Was it the public embarrassment of having been called out by his colleagues? Or is Burr simply fed up with being stonewalled by Michael Flynn and the like? We’ll find out. But it appears that the entire committee has now taken the gloves off.
