Former acting attorney general was originally slated to testify in March, but then-lead investigator Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) canceled the hearing
By Nadia Prupis, staff writer for Common Dreams. Published 4-21-2017
Photo: Screengrab of C-SPAN
Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates has been invited to testify publicly before Congress on the investigation into alleged Russian election meddling.
The hearing is expected to take place after May 2. Former CIA director John Brennan and former director of national intelligence James Clapper are also scheduled to testify.
Yates was originally set to appear before the House Intelligence Committee in March, but the hearing was canceled by then-lead investigator Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who has since stepped down amid accusations of ethics violations.
Democrats said Nunes was attempting to block Yates from giving testimony that would conflict with comments from the White House and possibly damage President Donald Trump. The week before she was scheduled to testify, FBI director James Comey confirmed that the bureau was investigating the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia.
The panel’s top Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, has been pushing for Yates’ testimony to be rescheduled. “Back on track,” he tweeted Friday.
Shortly after Trump took office, Yates informed the White House that then-national security adviser Michael Flynn was vulnerable to blackmail. Flynn jumped ship after revelations that he had lied to Vice President Mike Pence about his communications with the Russian ambassador.
Yates was fired in January after refusing to enforce Trump’s first ban on travelers and refugees from Muslim-majority countries.
