WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-6th, called on the FBI to "follow all legitimate investigative leads" into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election in a letter to FBI Director James Comey Wednesday, according to a press release.
He also urged the FBI to investigate "leads regarding the mishandling of classified information" and reiterated his request for a "briefing on these matters" as well as the allegations made by President Donald Trump that he was under surveillance during the presidential election.
Goodlatte, who is Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, was joined in signing the letter by all other Republican members of the committee, except for U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas.
This comes after Goodlatte and other Republican members of the committee last week blocked a Democratic attempt to make the Justice Department produce records associated with its probe into whether Trump and his campaign had secret ties to Russia.
He said that resolution, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jarrold Nadler, D-N.Y., was "unnecessary, premature, and not the best way for this committee or the house to conduct oversight over the issues covered by the resolution" in his opening statement from the House Judiciary Committee’s markup of Nadler's resolution.
Goodlatte said the resolution wouldn't affect the attorney general’s obligation to produce documents to Congress, as resolutions aren't subpoenas and so have no legal force or effect.
The resolution was about politics, not information, he argued, saying "our oversight efforts can, and should be better than that."
"There is no compelling reason to use today’s meeting of the House Judiciary Committee as yet another forum to debate whether Russia hacked the election or whether Jared Kushner should have a job in the West Wing," he said at the time. "We can and will investigate any credible allegations of misconduct by the Executive Branch to the extent such allegations fall within this committee’s jurisdiction, but we will not do so through politically-charged resolutions of inquiry that could jeopardize the integrity of the very investigations the resolution calls for."
Below is the quoted letter to Comey from the Wednesday press release.
Dear Director Comey:
Over the past several days, there have been reports containing significant surveillance and cyber-related allegations, including that the government of the Russian Federation attempted to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election as part of a broader cyberattack on our country and the fundamentals of our democracy. It also appears information classified at the highest level, including methodologies of surveillance, has made its way into the public domain. Moreover, we now see allegations from the President himself that he and his associates were placed under surveillance during the 2016 campaign.
An independent FBI and Justice Department are essential to a functioning Republic. Our fellow citizens must have confidence in the thoroughness and evenhandedness of our investigatory and prosecutorial agencies. In the past, some of the undersigned have lamented the appearance of a multitrack justice system. The same laws must apply to each of us.
We believe both the Legislative Branch and the Executive Branch have unique but distinct investigatory functions. The Executive Branch uniquely investigates allegations of criminal wrongdoing, and it should do so without impermissible interference from the other Branches. If criminal activity is discovered, it should be investigated and prosecuted with the utmost rigor of the law. The Legislative Branch has a distinct constitutional role as well, in that it exercises oversight of the functions of the Executive Branch. This Committee will, of course, continue to engage in oversight within our jurisdiction.
To these ends, we again request a briefing regarding Russia’s alleged interference in the U.S. election, and additionally, on the very serious allegations that the President and/or his associates were or are under surveillance. These briefings must also, necessarily, address why information on any of these matters – which is presumably classified – continues to leak. The Judiciary Committee is the primary House committee of jurisdiction over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the Wiretap Act, laws heavily implicated by recent claims. We, therefore, will not waiver in our commitment to ensuring that our nation’s most powerful intelligence tools and agencies operate with the trust and confidence of the American people.
We know you understand that the FBI must keep total fidelity to the laws and the Constitution of the United States. We therefore urge you to follow all legitimate investigative leads in these matters and any other matter affecting the national security of the United States.
Sincerely,Bob Goodlatte
Trey Gowdy
Jim Sensenbrenner
Steve Chabot
Darrell Issa
Steve King
Trent Franks
Ted Poe
Tom Marino
Raúl Labrador
Doug Collins
Ken Buck
John Ratcliffe
Martha Roby
Mike Johnson
Andy Biggs
Ron DeSantis
Blake Farenthold
Jason Chaffetz
Matt Gaetz
Lamar Smith
Jim Jordan
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