“We are proceeding with the investigation whether Biden is in or out,” said Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa and the chairman of the Finance Committee, who co-signed numerous requests with Mr. Johnson. “This investigation is about conflicts of interest, not political candidates.”
In addition to the Burisma matter, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Grassley are investigating whether Democrats conspired with Ukrainian officials to harm Mr. Trump’s campaign in 2016. Senator Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina and the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, has previously warned his fellow chairmen in private that any investigation that turned on information from Ukraine should be handled delicately because it could advance Russian efforts to spread disinformation, according to two officials familiar with the discussions, which were first reported by Politico. (Mr. Burr said this week that he had no objection to Mr. Johnson’s investigation.)
It is unclear how far the Burisma investigation has advanced. The senators indicated they had received documents from multiple individuals in recent weeks, and the State Department has handed over 2,800 pages of records.
Mr. Johnson sought approval for the subpoena from Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, the top Democrat in the Homeland Security Committee, but Mr. Peters refused, citing concerns similar to Mr. Burr’s.
In a letter to committee members on Sunday informing them of the subpoena vote next week, Mr. Johnson stressed that his staff was going to “great lengths” to consult with intelligence and law enforcement officials first.
“I share the ranking member’s interest in ensuring that the Senate and this committee not be used to advance disinformation,” he wrote in the letter, which came the day after Mr. Biden won the South Carolina primary.
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/05/us/politics/biden-trump-burisma-investigation.html
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