Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell may be trying to hide evidence of Russian hacking from the public by refusing to convene a select committee to investigate Russia’s alleged interference in the U.S. election, a Democratic senator said Wednesday.
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I, said on CNN Wednesday that McConnell’s reluctance to convene a select committee shows either ignorance or willful deception.
“He’s either failed to recognize the import, or he simply doesn’t want to have these answers presented to the American public of what went on,” Reed said.
Reed is one of four senators from both sides of the aisle who have asked McConnell to create a select committee to investigate what the U.S. intelligence community says were hacks into the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s emails that were directed by the Russian government.
McConnell said this weekend he doesn’t want to create that kind of committee because the already-existing House and Senate intelligence committees will be able to handle the investigation.
Reed said that’s a misguided belief because the controversy cuts across many jurisdictional lines. He said committees on intelligence, homeland security, armed services and others can all find some role to play in the investigation.
“You won’t be able to effectively and rapidly be able to put together comprehensive legislation” without a select committee, Reed said. “Cybersecurity is one of those things that cuts through everything.”
Reed added, “It’s not something that can be treated as business as usual.”
