Swalwell's Statement on GOP Efforts to Distract from Russia Investigation

WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Eric Swalwell (CA-15), the Ranking Member of the CIA Subcommittee of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement Tuesday:

"The Russian government – and its plans to attack our democracy again – scored a major victory today in the House of Representatives.

"As the only Democratic member of both the House Intelligence and Judiciary committees, I'm deeply disappointed that both committees' chairmen – along with the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's chairman – are dropping partisan smoke bombs to disrupt and discredit the Russia investigation.

"Last election, Russia attacked our democracy, infecting us with a virus we have still not kicked. The only antidote to a future attack is unity in identifying how we were so vulnerable and who was responsible. These partisan investigations only create disunity among our nation's leaders and will serve to sharpen Russians' swords to attack us again.

"The House and Senate Intelligence committees and Special Counsel Robert Muller must be allowed finish our investigations without further delay or distraction. But as insurance, Congress also must be allowed to vote on my bill – H.R. 356, the Protecting Our Democracy Act – to create an independent, bipartisan-appointed commission that can investigate Russia's meddling free of all of this political pandering and obfuscation."