As President Donald Trump's presidency is threatened by an impeachment inquiry, the Republican chairmen of two Senate committees, Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley, are asking Attorney General Bill Barr to investigate any ties between Ukraine and Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign.
In a letter to Barr released on Monday, Johnson (R-Wis.
) and Grassley (R-Iowa) pressed the Justice Department to probe any connection between Clinton and Ukrainian operatives. They said they have "concerns about foreign assistance in the 2016 election that have not been thoroughly addressed."Their letter comes as Trump faces an impeachment inquiry from the House amid revelations that he sought help from Ukraine's president to probe former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading contender for the Democratic nomination. But these two Republicans say there's another story about government corruption allegations the Justice Department should be pursuing.
"The Justice Department has yet to inform Congress and the public whether it has begun an investigation into links and coordination between the Ukrainian government and individuals associated with the campaign of Hillary Clinton or the Democratic National Committee. Ukrainian efforts, abetted by a U.S. political party, to interfere in the 2016 election should not be ignored," the two senators wrote in a letter dated Sept. 27. "Are you investigating links and coordination between the Ukrainian government and individuals associated with the campaign of Hillary Clinton or the Democratic National Committee?
If not, why not?"Johnson chairs the Senate's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, while Grassley chairs the Senate Finance Committee.
Grassley previously wrote to the Justice Department in July 2017 about Alexandra Chalupa, whom POLITICO reported in 2017 did work for the DNC and said she felt there was a connection between Russia and Trump's campaign.
Of Chalupa, the two senators asked Barr: "Why hasn't the Justice Department required Alexandra Chalupa to register as a foreign agent?" The two asked for a response by Oct. 14, requesting as much of it be unclassified as possible.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine