by WorldTribune Staff, May 14, 2020
Sen. Lindsey Graham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the panel will begin hearings into “all things” related to the FBI’s investigation into alleged Trump-Russia collusion next month.
That would likely include the Obama administration’s unmasking of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
The first witness President Donald Trump would like to see Graham call?
Former President Barack Obama.
“If I were a Senator or Congressman, the first person I would call to testify about the biggest political crime and scandal in the history of the USA, by FAR, is former President Obama,” Trump tweeted Thursday. “He knew EVERYTHING.”
“Do it @LindseyGrahamSC, just do it,” Trump continued. “No more Mr. Nice Guy. No more talk!”
Trump’s tweet comes after Sens. Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, and Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republic, made a list of Obama officials who purportedly requested to “unmask” the identity of Flynn public.
The list was declassified by Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell and sent to Grassley and Johnson.
The list feautres top-ranking figures including then-Vice President Joe Biden, then-FBI Director James Comey, then-CIA Director John Brennan, then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and Obama’s then-chief of staff Denis McDonough.
Graham indicated on Thursday he would be reluctant to go so far as calling Obama to testify, saying he was “greatly concerned about the precedent that would be set by calling a former president for oversight.”
“No president is above the law,” Graham said. “However, the presidency has executive privilege claims against other branches of government. … As to the Judiciary Committee, both presidents are welcome to come before the committee and share their concerns about each other. If nothing else it would make for great television. However, I have great doubts about whether it would be wise for the country.”
Graham said that his panel will “begin holding multiple, in-depth congressional hearings regarding all things related to Crossfire Hurricane starting in early June.”
Crossfire Hurricane was the FBI’s code name for the investigation into whether members of the Trump campaign were coordinating or colluding with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
Trump blasted the Obama administration over the unmasking revelations and claimed that “it was the greatest political crime in the history of our country.”
“If I were a Democrat instead of a Republican, I think everybody would have been in jail a long time ago, and I’m talking with 50-year sentences. It is a disgrace what’s happened. This is the greatest political scam, hoax in the history of our country,” Trump said during an interview Thursday with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo. “People should be going to jail for this stuff and hopefully, a lot of people are going to have to pay.”
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