On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” Senate Intelligence Committee member Tom Cotton (R-AR) discussed the committee’s subpoena of Donald Trump Jr., and said that the committee is conducting “a counterintelligence inquiry, not a criminal investigation” to find out “what techniques Russia uses, so we can make sure that they don’t do it again in the future.”

Cotton said, “You’ve got to remember that what we’re doing is a counterintelligence inquiry, not a criminal investigation. Senator Burr (R-NC) has already said, there’s no collusion found by our committee. That’s because there was no collusion. What we’re trying to do is get to the bottom of exactly what Russia was up to, so we know what techniques Russia uses, so we can make sure that they don’t do it again in the future.”

Host Jake Tapper then asked Cotton about Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) advising Trump Jr. to avoid the subpoena.

Cotton answered, “I hope that the committee can get the information that the committee needs to figure out exactly what Russia was up to, to clear up any discrepancies created by other testimony or other evidence that has come forward, so we can make sure that Russia doesn’t interfere in our elections again.”

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