WASHINGTON, DC— Today Congressman Jim Himes released the following statement on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s hearing on Russian interference in our election, ties between the Trump campaign and Russian figures and President Trump’s claims that he was surveilled:
“Yesterday’s hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence began to answer some questions the American people have been asking for a long time. Speaking for the FBI, NSA and Justice Department, FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Michael Rogers stated there is no evidence whatsoever to back up President Trump’s baseless claims that former President Obama wiretapped Trump Tower. Questions about if the Trump campaign’s potential ties to Russia were made up by the President’s enemies were also put to rest as Director Comey confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation into the links and possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia – this was based on fact, not vendetta.
“Our committee will now continue the hard work before us: gathering the evidence, speaking with experts in the intelligence field and interviewing witnesses until we piece together the truth. The American people want and deserve a full, nonpartisan investigation, and that is what I am endeavoring to give them over the coming months.”