Susan Rice has drawn the ire of Republicans following reports last month that, as national security adviser, she requested the names of President Donald Trump's transition aides who were referenced in intelligence reports after the election. | Getty Susan Rice declines to testify before Senate subcommittee

Former Obama administration National Security Adviser Susan Rice on Wednesday declined a request to testify next week before a Senate subcommittee, citing separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches and the fact that the invitation was not bipartisan.

Rice’s decision to decline the invitation to testify on Russia’s election meddling came in a letter from her lawyer, Kathryn Ruemmler, to the leaders of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).


The letter, first reported by CNN, notes that the invitation to testify came only from Graham and that Whitehouse “has informed us by letter that he did not agree to” the request, which Ruemmler calls “a significant departure from the bipartisan invitations extended to other witnesses.”

“Moreover,” Ruemmler writes, “Chairman Graham's invitation was extended only after the hearing was noticed, less than two weeks before the hearing was scheduled to occur, and without consultation with Ambassador Rice, a professional courtesy that would customarily be extended to any witness.”

The Judiciary subcommittee is holding a hearing next Monday that will feature testimony from former acting Attorney General Sally Yates and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

Rice has drawn the ire of Republicans investigating Russia’s interference in November’s presidential election following reports last month that, as national security adviser, she requested the names of President Donald Trump's transition aides who were referenced in intelligence reports after the election.

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Rice denied using intelligence for political purposes in an interview on MSNBC last month.

“The allegation is that somehow Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes,” Rice said. “That’s absolutely false.”

Whitehouse said Wednesday he believes Rice’s testimony would be a distraction from the issues that Monday’s hearing is set to address.

“We’ve got a specific focus for this hearing that both the former deputy attorney general and the former director of national intelligence can speak to," he said. "She wasn’t one of the witnesses that we noticed the hearing for."

Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.