Rep. Richmond Joins Colleagues in Pressing White House to Provide Proof of the President’s Reckless Wiretap Claims

Washington, DC – In a letter sent to White House Counsel Donald McGhan, Congressmen Cedric Richmond (LA-02) and Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee requested that the White House provide information relating to contact between anyone employed by or associated with the White House and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) as it relates to any ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the recent presidential election. In a separate letter to Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana J. Boente Rep. Richmond and his colleagues requested that the Department of Justice address the accuracy of assertions made by President Trump accusing President Obama of wiretapping his phones prior to the election:

“The ability of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct independent investigations is an essential component of federal law enforcement,” said Rep. Richmond. “If reports of contact between White House staff and the FBI relating to ongoing investigations are true, this would call into question the ability of federal law enforcement to conduct investigations free of undue influence from the Trump White House.

“We cannot allow President Trump's reckless tweets to erode the laws and norms that strengthen our democracy. The American people need and deserve to know what the facts are in order to better understand what is true and draw their own conclusions. The White House has a responsibility to provide this information to bring clarity to this incredibly important issue.”

The letter to White House Counsel Donald McGhan can be found here.

The letter to Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana J. Boente can be found here.