If Russia Inquiry Is Not Legitimate, Democrats May Abandon It.

[elleng]

'They agreed just a week ago to the terms of a House Intelligence Committee investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. But now some of the panel’s Democrats are warning that they may pull their support for the inquiry if it becomes mired in party-line politics.

When that might happen is unclear, and Democrats know that the current moment of even tentative comity on the Republican-controlled panel may offer their best chance for scrutinizing ties between people close to President Trump and Russian officials.

Still, Democrats are bracing for fights over subpoenaing witnesses and documents — including, possibly, Mr. Trump’s tax returns — since Republicans have balked at an outside, independent inquiry into what intelligence officials say was an unprecedented intrusion into an American election by a foreign power.

“I’m not going to be part of a dog-and-pony show that is not a serious effort to do an investigation, because this is really serious,” said Representative Jackie Speier, Democrat of California. “If it’s not a legitimate and comprehensive and in-depth investigation, why would we be party to it?”'>>>

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/11/us/politics/house-intelligence-commitee-russia-investigation.html?

[riversedge]

1. I do not have a good feeling about Numes doing his job and do not blame Dems

for walking off the hearing --if necessary.



......Democrats are already wary of moves by the committee’s chairman, Representative Devin Nunes, Republican of California, to undercut the purported Russian connection. Mr. Nunes has belittled news stories about the Russian ties of Mr. Trump’s associates and has pledged — along with Senator Richard Burr, the North Carolina Republican who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee — to examine Mr. Trump’s accusations, made without evidence, that President Barack Obama ordered the surveillance of Trump Tower.

Mr. Nunes was a prominent supporter of Mr. Trump’s campaign and served on the administration’s transition team.

So far, some Democrats on the House panel said, Mr. Nunes had been receptive to many of their requests in the inquiry. “Most of us would agree that there’s no way we’re participating in any form of cover-up or whitewash, so we will walk away if the moment requires,” said Representative Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut. “But we’re certainly not there yet.”