Senate Intelligence Committee that has been charged with the inquiry
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HURON – A special prosecutor is not needed in the ongoing investigation of possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia because the Senate Intelligence Committee that has been charged with the inquiry is a well-established, credible panel that has a good bipartisan working relationship, Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said Thursday.
Even with the appointment of a special prosecutor, there would still be claims it is partisan in nature, he said in a conference call with reporters.
“You’re not going to get away from partisanship in a special prosecutor,” Rounds said.
The president’s firing of FBI Director James Comey raised eyebrows and questions, and Rounds said he doesn’t understand the timing of it.
But while Trump had the legal authority to do it, it doesn’t happen often and now the media is solely focused on asking why, he said.
Intelligence committee members “are playing the adults in the room” and have the confidence of the Senate, he said.
With the committee in place, Rounds said he sees no need to create another committee, hire staff and find a funding source. The committee has been working on its investigation for months and is getting results that are coming out in public testimony, he said.
“I think it’s the right working group to do it,” he said.
Time and again, those who have had access to all the information up to this point have indicated they have seen no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and any foreign governments, Rounds said.
Still, the investigation is continuing and the committee is not going to quit until it completes its work and issues a report, he said.
“They have assured us they are going to follow it all the way through, they’re going to follow every lead,” Rounds said.