The White House, led by Donald Trump himself and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, is pressuring the FBI to deny that there’s anything going on involving Trump’s ties to Russia. The story has gotten more and more difficult to bury, but Republicans are trying hard. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi is pushing back against those efforts to make the Trump-Russia story go away, issuing a statement calling on both the Department of Justice and Congress to launch investigations:
“The Trump White House has been caught trying to pressure the FBI into undermining a vital national security investigation into the explosive ties between senior Trump officials and Russian intelligence agents, an action which is in violation of Department of Justice rules and which may also be illegal.
“Political interference in the integrity of an FBI investigation into the conduct of White House officials is a grave abuse of power. The rule of law depends on the FBI’s complete independence, free from political pressure from the targets of its investigations.
“White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus has committed an outrageous breach of the FBI’s independence. Priebus has not only damaged his reputation but tainted the impartiality of the FBI. The Department of Justice’s Inspector General must open a new investigation into any and all conversations Priebus and other White House officials held with the FBI on ongoing investigations. Congress must also launch an independent, bipartisan commission to ensure the American people get the facts free from the Trump Administration’s meddling. The American people deserve to know the truth.”
We can count on the Republican Congress and the Jeff Sessions-run Justice Department to drag their feet on investigating. But with revelations about ties between Trump’s inner circle and Russia continuing to come out, it’s getting harder for them—which means it’s time to press even harder, raise the costs of covering up for Trump.