Rep. Darrell Issa on Tuesday voted against a resolution that sought to shed some light on any ties President Donald Trump may have with the Kremlin, just days after he broke with the White House and called for an independent investigation into whether Russia interfered with the presidential election.

The resolution called on the Justice Department to give Congress records about any “criminal or counterintelligence” investigations into relationships between Trump — and his administration and business interests — and Russia.

Issa said that the resolution, introduced by Democrats, would have created a political rather than impartial review.

On “Real Time with Bill Maher” Friday night, Issa called for a “special prosecutor” to investigate possible Russian interference in the presidential election. Earlier this week and on Tuesday, Issa slightly clarified that remark saying that he wanted an “independent review” of the matter.


A Democratic campaign organization that has targeted Issa’s seat for the 2018 midterm election criticized his vote and said it prevents the public from knowing Trump’s involvement with Russia.

Instead of the resolution, Issa said it’s more appropriate for the committee to send Attorney General Jeff Sessions a letter that asks him to voluntarily agree to keep Congress informed about the results of Trump’s foreign interests before taking more forceful action.

“As the chairman of the committee said in his opening remarks for this response, there is a letter that is in draft form that I have already looked at and made my comments on that asks for information and cooperation by the attorney general,” Issa said. “That is fitting and appropriate as the first step.”

He told other committee members that he was known for his tenacity when he led the House Oversight Committee for getting answers to questions, and he will be just as forceful if the Justice Department does not keep Congress informed.


He said he also supports investigations by other congressional committees on the relationship between Trump and Russia. He added that he still believes an independent investigator with no political conflicts should conduct a separate inquiry on any Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Issa said the resolution the committee considered was tainted by politics.

“Instead of making progress towards a truly impartial investigation, the resolution considered today would have moved the congressional review process in the opposite direction,” he said.

But the resolution’s sponsor, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York, said that his measure would cut through roadblocks from Republicans who have tried to prevent a review of Trump’s ties to Russia.


“That is why I introduced my resolution, which directs the Department of Justice to provide the House of Representatives with any and all information it posses related to any conflicts of interests, any ethical violations, and any improper ties to Russia by President Trump or his associates,” Nadler said.

Sessions, who had been a part of Trump’s campaign, has a conflict of interest that prevents him from impartially investigating foreign ties, Nadler said, noting the White House has dismissed questions by insisting there’s nothing to investigate.

“Well, that should not be good enough for this House,” Nadler said. “We must ensure that we get access to any information that the Department of Justice has so that we can do our own investigation.”

The measure, a rarely considered “resolution of inquiry” failed 18 to 16 along party lines.


The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said Issa’s vote will keep the public in the dark.

“The American people deserve to know if President Trump is enriching himself and his boosters in Moscow instead of protecting our national security and growing our economy,” DCCC spokesman Patrick Burgwinkle said in a statement.

On the Bill Maher show, Issa said that Sessions should not be involved in the inquiry, and called for a “special prosecutor.”

On Tuesday, Issa appeared to clarify his statement from the talk show. In the committee hearing, he said there is ”no such thing as a special prosecutor,” suggesting that he referenced a now defunct office in the Justice Department on the show.


On Monday, his office released a statement where he called for an “independent review.”

Twitter: @jptstewart


joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

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