The Senate Judiciary Committee’s ranking Democrat has requested interviews with Dan Scavino and Brad Parscale, two members of President Trump’s 2016 White House campaign, as part of the panel’s probe into Russia’s alleged election meddling.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California wrote to Mr. Scavino and Mr. Parscale on Wednesday seeking their assistance with respect to her committee’s investigation into the 2016 race, adding each of their names to the growing list of Trump associates questioned by the four congressional panels currently probing Russia’s involvement in the president’s election.
“Given your role on the campaign, we believe that you have information that would assist that committee in its investigation,” Ms. Feinstein wrote in separate but similar letters sent to Mr. Scavino and Mr. Parscale, the Trump campaign’s social media director and digital director, respectively.
The U.S. intelligence community concluded last year that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 White House race with hopes of undermining the voting process.
Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller’s office subsequently launched investigations into Russia’s role in the election, and officials have expanded their probes to include possible collusion between Moscow and Mr. Trump’s campaign, among other matters.
Indeed, Ms. Feinstein indicated that Mr. Scavino – Mr. Trump’s former golf caddie and the president’s current social media director – may be capable of enlightening investigators with regards to matters being reviewed involving not just Mr. Trump’s election, but his actions while in office.
“The media has reported that you are a ’constant presence at Trump’s side’ and ’omnipresent in the West Wing,’ which would place you at key events of interest to the committee in its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible obstruction of justice,” Ms. Feinstein wrote to Mr. Scavino.
The letter to Mr. Scavino asks him to provide the committee with an array of documents dating back to June 2015 and covering topics ranging from the FBI’s investigation into the 2016 election, to any communications he may have had with or involving Russia or Russian nationals, as well as details involving Mr. Trump’s firing of both his former security advisor Michael Flynn and former FBI Director James Comey, among other matters.
Mr. Trump terminated Mr. Flynn and Mr. Comey within months of taking office, and the committee is investigating those matters as part of its probe, the letter said.
Both letters request documents from the recipients and to schedule an interview within the month. Neither recipient immediately commented publicly on the requests.
Congress and the special counsel’s office have questioned several individuals close to the president since launching their probes, and Mr. Mueller’s investigation has resulted so far in criminal charges being filed against four members of Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign, including Mr. Flynn and three others.
Moscow has has repeatedly denied interfering in Mr. Trump’s election, and the White House has denied colluding with the Kremlin.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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