House panel probing Russia to call on Obama-era DHS chief

The House Intelligence Committee plans to ask former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to testify publicly in its investigation into Russian interference in the election, committee leaders said Tuesday.

Lawmakers have not yet reached out to the Obama administration official, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) told reporters in a brief media appearance alongside Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas), who is leading the investigation.

But “he’s been certainly cooperative in terms of my interaction with him over many years,” Schiff said of Johnson.

Johnson, alongside former National Intelligence Director James Clapper, issued the Obama administration’s October statement affirming the intelligence community’s assessment that Russia tried to meddle in the U.S. election.

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The House Intelligence Committee lawmakers took no questions during their appearance Tuesday. Conaway vowed to continue to be “circumspect” with reporters in answering questions about the ongoing investigation.

The Texas lawmaker, who took over the investigation after committee chair Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) recused himself this spring, maintained that the probe would be thorough and bipartisan.

“We’re going to the investigation in the right way … and we intend to follow every lead and talk to every witness,” he said Tuesday.

The House committee’s investigation has taken somewhat of a backseat to the Senate panel after partisan infighting temporarily derailed the probe.

It has largely appeared back on track after Nunes’ recusal, although some Democrats have grumbled that he has continued to be involved in the investigation behind the scenes.

Nunes last week unilaterally issued a trio of subpoenas to three intelligence agencies demanding information on any requests from former Obama administration officials that U.S. names caught up in surveillance be “unmasked.”

Committee Republicans under Nunes had pushed to include unmasking as part of the investigation.

Schiff and Conway last week jointly issued four subpoenas directly related to the probe into Russian meddling.