Dear Democratic Colleague,
It has been reported that days before President Trump fired Comey, the FBI Director had asked for more resources for the Russian investigation. Given Director Comey’s confirmation of the Trump-Russia inquiry, the President’s actions raise questions about whether this dismissal was an attempt to undermine that investigation. The fireworks at the Department of Justice demand that we remove the investigation from the Trump-appointed Justice Department leadership.
It is clear that in the 2016 campaign, the Russians interfered with the election by hacking and leaking information. It is also clear that during the campaign there were repeated contacts between the Russians and individuals associated with the Trump campaign. It is further clear that the public deserves to know the extent to which there was collusion between the Russians and the Trump campaign to influence the result of the election.
I am calling upon Speaker Ryan and Republicans in Congress to join Democrats to support H.R. 356, the Protecting Our Democracy Act to create an outside, independent commission to investigate the Trump-Russia connection. One hundred percent of House Democrats support this bipartisan bill.
Speaker Ryan must call up this legislation immediately upon our return next week. If Republicans continue to work to hide the truth from the American people, it will be necessary for Democrats to file a discharge petition to force a vote on the Swalwell-Cummings measure.
If the President has nothing to hide, then he should welcome the creation of a commission providing an independent investigation to remove all doubt of a coverup.
I hope we can move forward in a bipartisan way to protect the integrity of our electoral system and the rule of law, both of which are fundamental to our democracy.
I welcome your thoughts on this critical issue.
Best Regards,
/s/Nancy Pelosi