The bipartisan leadership of the House Intelligence Committee said Tuesday they will summon former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to testify both publicly and privately about Russian attempts to hack into the U.S. election system.
The panel is investigating alleged connections between Russian operatives and the Trump campaign, Russian efforts to disrupt the 2016 election and whether Trump has been obstructing the probe.
“We do have an aggressive investigation going on right now and we intend to follow every lead, talk to every witness and get the answers the American people want,” said House Intelligence Committee member Mike Conaway, R-Texas. Conaway took over the Russia probe on the Republican side after House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., recused himself.
Ranking member Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Johnson has not yet been formally invited to testify but is expected to comply. Johnson was President Barack Obama’s last DHS chief.
Classified information leaked by an NSA contractor revealed Russian operatives attempted to hack into U.S. voting software before the election.
On Oct. 7, Johnson and then-Director of National Intelligence James Clapper issued a statement saying Russia-based entities were in some U.S. states engaged in “scanning and probing of their election-related systems.”
