House panel finds 'no evidence' of Trump-Russia election collusion

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A Republican-dominated House panel announced Monday that their investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election found no collusion by Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

"We have found no evidence of collusion, coordination or conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians," said the preliminary report issued by the majority Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee.

The panel also said it accepted US intelligence's conclusion that Russians had sought to interfere in the election, but rejected the idea that Moscow had specifically attempted to boost Trump's White House effort.

The summary expressed "concurrence with the Intelligence Community Assessment's Judgments, except with respect to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's supposed preference for candidate Trump."

The report signaled a move by Republicans on the deeply divided panel to end their year-old investigation, even as committee Democrats, who had yet to see the report, say they need to interview more witnesses.

Rep. Mike Conaway asks questions during an interview related to Russian use of social media to influence US elections, on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, November 1, 2017. /Reuters Photo

"After more than a year, the committee has finished its Russia investigation and will now work on completing our report," said panel chair Devin Nunes.

"We hope our findings and recommendations will be useful for improving security and integrity for the 2018 midterm elections."

Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the panel, said the move came under pressure from the White House, where Trump and close advisers face a separate collusion investigation by the Justice Department's independent prosecutor Robert Mueller.

"While the majority members of our committee have indicated for some time that they have been under great pressure to end the investigation, it is nonetheless another tragic milestone for this Congress, and represents yet another capitulation to the executive branch," Schiff said in a statement.

"We have learned a great deal about countless secret meetings, conversations and communications between Trump campaign officials and the Russians, all of which the Trump Administration initially denied," he added. "The majority was not willing to pursue the facts wherever they would lead."

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Source(s): AFP