The Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee are apparently having a hard time giving up the idea that they're getting super-duper special information, and they don't want other Democrats to have it. So they're resisting the calls of their new leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer, for a select committee to investigate Russia's interference in the 2016 election.
Several members of the party, particularly those on the Intelligence Committee, are noncommittal about setting up a new select committee specifically devoted to cybersecurity that would also investigate Russian influence on the presidential election. Instead, some Democrats will wait to see whether Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) will follow through on his pledge to “expeditiously” investigate the electronic break-ins and preside over public hearings about the matter. […]
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the new top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, is not currently endorsing a select committee as he looks to forge a partnership with Burr. Still, he's leaving the door open to call for an investigatory shake-up in the future if the current Intel panel investigation stalls. But in the meantime, he's “actively engaged in discussions with Senator Burr” about the course of the current probe rather than calling for a new panel that would step on the Intel Committee's jurisdiction, a spokeswoman said.
And of course Sens. Angus King of Maine and Joe Manchin of West Virginia are puffing themselves up and holding out, saying the haven't made up their minds. This is undoubtedly them hoping to have their egos stroked and extract some trade-off from Schumer, who has called for the special select committee along with Democrat Jack Reed and Republicans John McCain and Lindsey Graham.
There are two stand-up stalwart Democrats on the intelligence committee, however, who are calling for the special committee.
Oregon’s Ron Wyden and New Mexico’s Martin Heinrich are demanding both transparency and a commitment from the Senate to conduct a complete and focused investigation. "The Russian hacking in the 2016 election—in this case on behalf of an unprecedentedly pro-Russian candidate—strikes at the core of our Democracy and cannot be brushed under the carpet," Heinrich said in a statement released by his office Wednesday. "There needs to be an independent, bipartisan commission designed solely to investigate Russia's interference in our election."