Senate

Grassley: Officials withholding info on Russia probe

by Rebecca Savransky - 03/15/17 3:31 PM ET

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Wednesday said federal law enforcement officials were withholding information in his committee’s probe of ties between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia.

Grassley was asked by The Washington Post whether FBI Director James Comey gave his panel the same information he gave the Senate Intelligence Committee.

“Every time they come up here for their nomination hearing and I ask them are you going to answer phone calls and our letters and are you going to give us the documents you want? And every time we get a real positive yes! And then they end up being liars!” Grassley responded.

{mosads}“It’s not if they’re treating us differently than another committee. It’s if they’re responding at all.”

Comey on Wednesday is set to meet with top members of the Senate Judiciary Committee amid demands that the bureau say if it is investigating ties between Moscow and the Trump campaign.

Grassley and Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) told reporters separately that they are expecting to get a closed-door briefing later Wednesday.

“I’ve been told that I’ll have a briefing this afternoon,” Grassley told reporters.

Grassley told the Post he would delay consideration of the nominee for deputy attorney general until the FBI responds to his committee.

“That seems to have gotten their attention,” he told the Post.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday he wants to know if there is a criminal investigation “regarding the Trump campaign and ties to Russia.”

“I want to know about it because we’re doing congressional investigations of all-things Russia,” he told the Post. “I don’t want to run into a criminal investigation not knowing it’s out there.”

Tags Chuck Grassley Dianne Feinstein Donald Trump Lindsey Graham