Reality is far more interesting than fiction around the White House with Donald Trump at the helm of this nation. One of his top advisers, Steve Bannon, betrayed him in a tell-all book that has lit the airwaves on fire. Now, there is yet another person who looks like he has fallen into the seemingly bottomless special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
The ranking Judiciary Committee Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, has asked to interview two additional men, Brad Parscale and Dan Scavino. The latter has been Trump’s social-media manager, and Feinstein said, Mother Jones reported:
‘(Scavino) may have corresponded with Russian nationals regarding Trump campaign social media efforts.’
https://youtu.be/hO5Fjxa0Jxg
She sent him a letter Wednesday requesting that he come before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her letter indicated that the committee “received information” about Scavino possibly communicating with the Russians.
Donald Trump Jr. held the June 2016 meeting with Russians at Trump Tower. His goal was to obtain dirt on Hillary Clinton from a Russian attorney. The British publicist who helped to set up that meeting, Rob Goldstone, had the not-so-brilliant idea that the Trump campaign put a page on a “Russian social-media site to connect with Russian Americans,” according to Mother Jones.
Then, Goldstone sent Scavino an email urging him to set up the page. Scavino used to caddie for Trump’s golf games, and had not been in the meeting.
The California senator also sent Brad Parscale a letter inviting him to come before the committee. Parscale was in charge of the Donald Trump campaign digital operation. Feinstein also requested he provide any documents related to his contact with groups like WikiLeaks and any Russian nationals.
Feinstein’s letters noted the U.S. intelligence community’s finding that Moscow had indeed meddled in the 2016 election in order to assist Trump. The letters indicated that the Russians used social media messaging as part of their campaign. Parscale and other Trump officials have rebutted the allegation that the Trump campaign shared data with the Russians to assist them in targeting those messages to specific audiences.
Parscale told CBS’ 60 Minutes any thought that he was part of the collusion with Russia was just “a joke.” He answered a request for information by House Democrats and wrote:
‘I do not have any firsthand knowledge of foreign interference in the 2016 election.”I have said it on Fox News, 60 Minutes, Twitter, etc.. Not sure how many more times I can make it clear.’
He tweeted:
‘My statement on the House Intelligence Committee’s request to interview me about the 2016 election.
‘I am unaware of any Russian involvement in the digital and data operations of the 2016 Trump presidential campaign. The Trump digital campaign use the exact same digital marketing strategies that are used every day by corporate America. The only collaboration I am aware of in the Trump digital campaign was with staff provided to the campaign by Facebook, Google and Twitter. Those experts in digital marketing worked side-by-side with our teams from Giles-Parscale, the Republican National Committee, and Cambridge Analytica to run a professional and winning campaign. I have accepted a request from the House Intelligence Committee to meet with them for a voluntary interview, and I look forward to sharing with them everything I know.’
The Judiciary Committee has virtually divided into two camps. The Republican chair, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, has been interested in investigating Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama’s Justice Department.
Feinstein has been leading the Democrats in the Russia collaboration investigation. Unfortunately, she does not have subpoena power, so she cannot force people to appear.
Featured Image via Getty Images.
